


Smells Like Teen Spirit

by bakubros



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Competition-Set Fic, Drama, Game Shows, Humor, Multi, Romance, Teenage Drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-17
Updated: 2015-07-15
Packaged: 2018-03-07 18:59:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 37,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3179609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bakubros/pseuds/bakubros
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Yes, Erwin,” comes the sarcastic drawl, “We are going to successfully save this failing company of yours by convincing twelve melodramatic, hyperactive, annoying-as-fuck teenagers to join us on a private island reality show.” </p><p>There’s a split second pause.</p><p>“Levi, that’s brilliant!”</p><p>The brunet wants to cry.</p><p>-— featuring the 104th kids as the dumbstruck contestants + the veterans as the would-be producers; multiple pairings</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. pre-production i

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god, you don't know how excited i am to be writing this, lol. first chapter is going to be centered around erwin and levi to properly introduce what's about to go down, but for the most part, the story will focus around the 104 kids.
> 
> while i do have my personal preferences regarding pairings in snk, there's no guarantee that they'll end up being endgame. i'm going to be focusing mostly on the development of these characters, so if two people feel more suited for one another, that's probably the direction i'm going to be going in. there'll be a little more to that, but i'll delve into explaining what i mean when the time comes. c;
> 
> also, brace yourself for a dorky erwin because dorky erwin is my fave
> 
> edit: (05/07/2017) just a quick warning for some people! there's a bit of a spoiler for chapters 51/52 of the manga regarding krista. i don't think that they've addressed it in anime yet, so just proceed with caution! if you're worried about the spoiler (like, whether or not we're talking about the same plot point or not lmao), feel free to shoot me a pm and i'd be happy to discuss it with you! other than that, please enjoy~

**-—pre-production: brainstorming, logistics, and casting—-  
** " _I'm eighteen, you prick, I can do whatever the hell I want."_

Levi's not really sure when or how he became friends with Erwin Smith, but he knows that they've been together for as long as he's willing to remember and he supposes that that alone is good enough.

It's not enough, however, to explain how the blond managed to drag him to the opposite side of the country at four in the morning, force him into a decaying corporate building, and lock them both within some kind of office without getting killed.

"Erwin. Remind me why the hell I'm here."

The man doesn't even look up from his position at the desk. "Again? That's the sixth time this hour. And this hour just started fifteen minutes ago."

"We've been in here for _seventeen_ hours now," Levi seethes, "And you've had me urinating in office shrubbery."

A carefully sculpted eyebrow is raised. "Is that _all_ you've been doing to my office shrubbery?"

There is a slow pause as the shorter man regards his words, slow repulsion becoming evident on his features.

" _You_ can defecate in _your own_ goddamn plants, Smith. I'm here, against my will, and the only thing I can do to make myself feel better is _not_ allow you to use my feces as plant fertilizer—and I'm pretty sure that speaks volumes about my current shitty situation."

Erwin crinkles his nose in disgust, and Levi allows himself to feel a twinge of pride at causing the expression to appear on the seated man's face.

"So _where_ exactly have you been shitting, Levi?"

Said man flushes a bright red and whatever pride he had left is swept away immediately. Scowling, he pushes off from his position leaning on his friend's desk and pivots on his foot in order to face him.

They hold one another's stares for a good, solid minute: Levi all glares and annoyance and wanting to get back home to his bratty cousin so that he can eat something other than beef jerky and Mountain Dew; Erwin all ready to win the staring contest.

He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, knowing that they are his friend's one true weakness, and easily enough, Levi falls back into a chair with a drawn out groan. " _Erwin_. Seriously?"

The blond allows a sigh as he rakes his hand through mussed locks that stand up in a variety of directions due to the gel that had once held them firmly in place. "Look, this corporation is my father's entire life's work. Yeah, it's not really my cup of tea, but as his son, I can't allow it to go bankrupt. There's enough money left in the company's savings to pull off one final project, and if said project is a hit, then I can hand over the reigns and someone else can just repeat the premise over and over again. And you've always had great ideas—" Levi actually snorts at this "—so I figured you were my go-to guy…. Well, that, and the fact that Mike is currently on some European cruise and Hange is God-knows-where—which is a pain in the ass since I asked them to take care of the company in my stead and they're _clearly_ not doing their job right."

Levi joins in this time when Erwin sighs once more, their fatigue shining through the pathetic chorus. "They're trying, Erwin. Hange is just into some weird shit. It's not their fault that they've spent a majority of the budget creating crappy documentaries on the life cycles of deep sea wildlife. This is a production company, so they're just producing things they'd like to see."

"Yeah, without realizing that no one _else_ would like to see it."

The two men drift into a contemplative silence.

"Well, Erwin, what _do_ people like to see?"

There's a rustle of papers as the man shifts through the stacks of files on his desk: all petty research printed out on Levi's printer (much to the brunet's horror) before he had shouted goodbye to his best friend's young familial ward and pulled said best friend in the general direction of the nearest airport. "Uh, badly drawn cartoons with adult humor, foreign soap operas, and reality television—I went ahead and included 'cooking shows with chefs that curse profusely' in this category as well."

Levi draws a slow breath as he judges the entire nation's populace and their crappy taste in a mere two minutes. The judgment probably would have continued if he hadn't noticed Erwin staring at him with an expectant gleam in his eye. Hesitantly, he manages to say, "Well, the first option would mean we'd have to hire artists and comedians, which is an added expense. Soap operas in general would require actual actors who would probably request significant salaries if they're actually any good, which is another added expense. With reality television, at least, a majority of the individuals featured don't have to be paid."

A grin appears bright on Erwin's face. "Okay. Reality television it is. Now we just have to come up with a unique premise that will really engage people."

He still has that look in his eye that Levi just _knows_ will make him feel horrible for not being helpful until he answers. However, Levi absolutely _abhors_ television and therefore has no real interest in it whatsoever. He apprehensively forces himself to ask, "Well, what are some of the more successful shows out there right now?"

Erwin responds passively, reading off a number of television shows along with a basic synopsis of what each one entails. "Let's eliminate the game show ones. We _definitely_ don't have enough money to give away at the end of each episode. Besides, most of them are dumb anyway."

Levi knows that his best friend just has a personal vendetta against Jeopardy because he blanked out when he was on live television and somehow ended up _owing_ the show money instead of walking away with some.

Needless to say, Alex Trebek's face is now synonymous with Satan's in the blond's eyes.

"Maybe if we can combine enough of the good qualities of each show, we can come up with something?"

A shrug. "Sounds good to me."

"Let's see… _The Bachelor_?"

"I guess people are too lazy to get up and find their own relationships, so they vicariously live through an onscreen woman vying for the affections of some guy who gets to live in a harem."

Erwin winces at the tone, "Okay, romance it is. And Levi, how about you respond with only one word now. Your negativity is kind of contagious."

The brunet frankly doesn't give a damn about whether or not his bad mood is (finally) beginning to rub off on Erwin. The guy'll live.

" _Survivor_?"

"The island."

Erwin looks as though he wants to say something but decides against it. Instead, he settles for scratching the tip of his pen against his notepad, clearly writing something much longer than just "the island." Levi can't help but be surprised that Erwin didn't detect the sarcasm in his response but decides not to complain.

" _Keeping up with the Kardashians_?"

Levi visibly winces at this, clearly finding difficulty coming up with an answer. Noticing his silence, his friend decides to throw in an answer himself, "It's probably the drama."

With a noncommittal grunt of agreement, the brunet leans over the desk to grab the notepad for himself and scribble the word in. "Next up is _The Biggest Loser_." He pauses for a second. "I still can't believe that that's the actual name of the show. I'm sure they could have come up with something better. I mean, good for those people that go through that process because they want to get in shape, but _really_ , what's the point in watching it?"

"It's all about self-improvement, Levi. Watching others striving to better themselves can inspire others to do so as well," Erwin explains.

There's a moment of silence as his friend thinks about the words. He gives a curt nod to show his understanding and Erwin knows that it's probably the only response he's going to get, so he flips around the notepad once more.

" _Jersey Shore_?"

Levi's eyes narrow. "That's still going on?"

"Well, no," Erwin admits, "But it was pretty popular with its target audience. Wouldn't hurt to take a pointer from it."

The glare is still etched on his friend's annoyed countenance until he snorts, "Probably the people in the show themselves. They're reckless young adults that focus on having fun. If there's any other appeal, then I sure as hell can't see it, regardless of which perspective I use."

If his friend didn't look so bored to death, Erwin probably would have taken the opportunity to poke some fun at him. However, he had known Levi long enough to know that he was beginning to encroach on dangerous territory and resolved to hurry up and find a concept idea as soon as possible.

"Cooking shows? In general?"

That was an easy one.

"Gordon Ramsay. The guy's a fucking asshole and I love it."

Erwin frowns, "I was thinking more along the lines of 'missions' that contestants need to finish up. There's no way in hell we can afford to hire Gordon Ramsay."

Levi scowls.

"And he's not an asshole," the blond chooses to add, "He's great around kids."

"Well kids don't fucking _count_ ," his friend snaps. "If he was rude to kids, then he'd be a _fucking_ asshole. God, Erwin, there's a _difference_."

Erwin reminds himself that now is not the time to chastise Levi on his limited selection of vocabulary (ironic, really, since the man had majored in English) and that he should be focusing on finishing up their concept. "Okay, whatever. Let's put this together now: romance, islands, drama, self-improvement, interesting characters, various missions, and Gordon Ramsay. If we combine these elements, we _should_ be able to come up with the perfect reality television show."

The office is engulfed in silence as the two men engage themselves in thought. It's clear that Erwin is genuinely banking on this as the solution to all of his problems, while Levi's come to the conclusion that this whole ordeal is just dumb as hell and he really, _really_ misses his brat's cooking (it's not really a _new_ conclusion).

"Yes, Erwin," comes the sarcastic drawl, "We are going to successfully save this failing company of yours by convincing twelve melodramatic, hyperactive, annoying-as-fuck teenagers to join us on a private island reality show."

There's a split second pause.

"Levi, that's brilliant!"

The brunet wants to cry.

"We'll target high school seniors," Erwin starts, "Kids getting ready to start a new segment of their lives with huge dreams ahead of them—we can offer them a choice of either a full four-year scholarship to any school of their choice as the grand prize, or, better yet, a whole television series based off of them as the main character! Two birds with one stone!"

Levi still wants to cry.

"We'll have them fill out an application and pick the twelve most interesting individuals in the bunch. We read through their personal information and give them each a confidential mission, unique to their character, in order to help them improve themselves! But some of the missions contradict one another, so it'll cause drama!"

Levi still wants to cry.

"And it'll all take place on my family's private island," Erwin says proudly. "It has good acreage and I figure that my family won't own it for long anyway if this doesn't take off. Oh! Oh! And we can have daily 'mini-missions'—" Levi cringes, "—that they can win in order to get points! And whoever gets the most points at the end of everything is guaranteed second place! And then each week, we'll have the audience submit popularity polls! And whoever gets the most votes at the end will have third place! That'll amp up the drama!" The blond man pauses to take a breath. "We don't really need to worry about the romance, I suppose. They're teenagers, so I guess they'll figure that part out on their own."

Levi still wants to cry.

"Oh! And hey, Mikasa's graduating this year, right? I know that you've been saying that you're worried about your decision to hire a private tutor since she doesn't get to socialize much with people her age. But hey, we could totally hook her up with one of the guys on the show!" Sometime during his tirade, Erwin jumped out of his seat to pace the office, and he takes this moment to gasp audibly and look at Levi in excitement. "Oh my God, Mikasa can be our bachelorette!"

Levi's lost all hope and allows his head to fall, rather harshly, on the desk in front of him with a resounding thud.

Erwin's already taken out his cell phone and is making a plethora of hurried phone calls and Levi supposes that it doesn't really matter anyway since there's no stopping Erwin Smith when he's come up with an idea and some strong resolve.

He's definitely going to talk to him about his younger cousin though, because dear _God_ —not only is she socially awkward and bound to embarrass herself, but her involvement would mean _his_ involvement and Levi is one-hundred percent done with this shit.

"Levi! Levi! I just came up with another idea!"

The seated man hesitantly raises his head to meet the ecstatic eyes of his best friend turned worst nightmare.

"We can't hire Gordon Ramsay, but you'd make a _great_ host for the show!"

Levi bangs his head once more against the surface before him.

Then he does it again.

And again.

And again.

And he hopes that if he keeps doing it, he'll pass out and later wake up from this horrible dream.

Before that can happen though, he's pulled up by the back of his neck as Erwin drags him toward the door, "C'mon, we need to go find Hange! This is going to be so perfect, Levi! We couldn't have done this without you!"

At this point, Levi's decided that he regrets not shanking Erwin Smith when he first met him.

* * *

The show's name is going to be _Teenage Wasteland_ and Erwin somehow manages to credit Levi with that too when the latter strides into a production meeting twenty minutes late, music blasting through his ears, and Erwin pulls out his earphones when he's not paying attention and the song by The Who ricochets throughout the room.

" _Teenage Wasteland_ ," Erwin had repeated in wonder. "Levi, that's brilliant!"

And god _dammit_ , Levi doesn't _want_ to be brilliant.

"Mike, Nanaba, have you two taken care of the paperwork and meetings with the stockholders?"

"Yes, sir. For the most part, they're all on board with your plans," the woman responds.

"One of the holders even went ahead and submitted an application on behalf of his daughter," Mike adds. "Shows that a lot of people are excited about this idea of yours, Erwin."

The blond grins widely in response, before turning to a disheveled figure with thickly rimmed glasses and a similar expression on their face. "I'm guessing this means that Hange's doing a good job as head of the advertising department then, huh?"

They beam at him, clearly pleased with the compliments. "Of course, Erwin! You know I would never allow myself to let you down." He nods in thanks, before Hange continues to give their report. "I haven't really targeted the television audience directly, since we don't really have any footage for a commercial without our cast, but we've definitely been making it up elsewhere. I'm having it promoted as an amazing scholarship opportunity at high schools around the country and the scholarship websites online are eating it up since it has such unique potential for an amazing experience for the children. I've put paper ads in magazines that are popular with teenagers and a lot of television networks have started promoting it on their own accord. I guess they're all eager to be considered for the show, so make sure you don't make your final decision until the application deadline is closed off." They cut themselves off to share an amused laugh. "Either way, both the web application and the paper application have been incredibly popular." As if to prove their point, Hange steps away from their seat to pick up a large box filled with mailed-in envelopes behind their chair, before dropping it pointedly on the conference room table. " _Incredibly_ popular."

Erwin's face looks like it's about to fall off just because he's so excited, and even though Levi is annoyed as hell, he allows his lip to quirk upwards as well.

"W-Wow, it hasn't even been a month yet…."

And then the blond man at the head of the table starts tearing up, but just barely, and he smiles at everyone gathered in the room and whispers, "My dad would be so proud."

There's a collective murmur of assurance and when Levi is dragged into a group hug he doesn't even complain about the greasiness of Hange's hair as it grazes his arm.

* * *

For some odd reason, Levi's been put in charge of sifting through the applications and deciding who's interesting, who's boring as hell, and who has the _potential_ for being interesting but also had the potential for being weird as fuck.

They don't need another Hange on set.

Erwin had the decency to hire Levi a personal assistant—a man by the name of Eld Jinn—and after a series of complaints regarding his sudden position as reality television host, he hired someone—thankfully, with actual _experience_ —to serve as his co-host.

Her name is Petra Ral, and when she introduces herself to Levi, the man can't help but mentally thank Erwin for being thoughtful enough to hire a woman shorter than him. She's trailed by a man named Gunther Shultz, her manager, and another young man, Oluo Bozado, who serves as her publicity manager. The two men don't look too excited to be there, but Petra explains their frowns with a smile bright enough to make up for their annoyance, "The late Mr. Smith gave me my first role on-screen, so if it weren't for him, there's no way I would be where I am today. When Erwin asked me to take on this gig, I agreed to help him out for free in thanks. They're not too happy with my decision, but there's not much they can really do about it. Just give them some time; they'll warm up to the idea eventually."

Levi realizes that this girl thinks with her heart above all else, and while he finds it kind of stupid, he finds her company quite amiable all the same.

Together the five of them sift through file after file, laughing at the funny ones and groaning at the boring ones.

Levi soon realizes that they're not so bad at all.

Erwin decidedly begins to refer to them as "Squad Levi," much to Levi's embarrassment and Oluo's chagrin.

* * *

It isn't long before the cast list is finalized: five young women and seven young men.

"Oh, this is going to be so exciting!" Hange squeals excitedly to Petra, who nods gleefully in agreement.

Levi can't ignore the fact that his interest has been piqued—the cast list had been finalized, and Erwin hadn't bothered to run it by him first? He thought they were in this together?

Wow. Fucking _rude_.

"So when are we bringing in these kids to have their personal introductions shot? You said that we'd be using those as promotional advertisements, right?"

Hange nods in affirmation, "They should all be arriving sometime by the end of this week for the shoot, where they'll each introduce themselves and open up their mission envelopes. They'll each be staying in different hotels within the area—with limited cable access, of course—since we don't want them to meet each other until they arrive on the island."

"Right," the brunet responds slowly. "Hey, by the way, who made the final cut?"

There's a pause as Hange and Petra share a careful look with each other, until the latter responds with a hesitant, "Erwin made us promise not to tell you."

Levi allows a groan to escape from his lips, because this could only mean one thing.

Without another word, Levi snatches the folder from Hange's hands and fucking _bolts_.

He turns the corner, runs into the first office he sees, locks the door, and allows himself to slide down the smooth wood as he fumbles through the papers.

It doesn't take long for him to see the roster, and when he does, he starts reading from the bottom up—in fear of the inevitable.

_Ymir_

Levi pauses to wonder why the fuck this girl is only signed on as a single name, but figures that he's not going to ask about it.

_Connie Springer_

_Historia Reiss_

_Annie Leonhardt_

_Eren Jaeger_

_Jean Kirstein_

_Bertholdt Fubar-Hoover_

_Sasha Braus_

_Reiner Braun_

_Marco Bodt_

_Armin Arlert_

He reads the final name with coming dread: _Mikasa Ackerman_.

He can feel the vein throbbing in his forehead and Levi knows he's mad. He's mad at Erwin for encouraging his cousin to apply, and he's mad at Mikasa for disobeying him and applying anyway, and he's mad at the members of the so-called "Squad Levi" who probably passed her name on for consideration without his consent.

"Uh," Erwin starts awkwardly from his desk. "Levi, are you okay?"

The brunet glares at him from his seated position, before flinging himself forward over Erwin's desk and tackling the man out of his chair.

* * *

Levi doesn't care what Erwin had originally ordered: he reroutes the responsibilities of a majority of the workers himself so that he can stand here at this exact moment in front of this exact escalator.

"Oi. Brat."

Bored eyes with a glimmer similar to his own stare back at him in faint amusement. "Levi."

"You disobeyed me, asshole."

"I'm eighteen, you prick, I can do whatever the hell I want."

The two cousins scrutinize one another for a little while longer, before they both drop what they're holding and hug each other—after all, they haven't seen one another since Erwin first dragged Levi on that fateful night to dream up a television show.

When they realize that, ew, gross, they're actually _touching_ , they promptly push the other away and commence walking towards the luggage train as though nothing had happened.

"Your interview is tomorrow."

"Yeah, I know."

"Try not to be so awkward. You want the audience to like you."

"Yeah, I know."

 _Make friends_ , Levi wants to say, but that's too mushy and familial and he already hugged his cousin once today and that's probably enough affection for an entire year or two.

"Yeah, I'll try," Mikasa says, a faint smile on her lips as she watches the shorter man beside her squirm uncomfortably.

Levi doesn't know when they had gotten to the point where she could practically read his mind, but it makes him tense up in disapproval, so he makes a grunting noise, grabs the rest of her luggage, and stomps in the general direction of the parking lot.

Mikasa allows herself a small chuckle as she trails behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so this was originally longer (like 5k longer lol), but i chose to cut it short because the next chapter is a lot to take in. so i guess, in a way, it's like prequel part two? but don't worry, all of the 104 kids are introduced in the next update and i'm really excited to see everyone's takes on them. c;
> 
> good news i guess is that the next chapter is technically already written, so the next update should be in exactly a week or so. not sure how long i can keep the regular updates going, but lol
> 
> the veterans will still appear occasionally in the background of everything that'll be going on within the actual television show, but the spotlight won't really be on them. i guess we'll see though~ (i want to succeed into turning erwin and levi into the next chris and ben from parks and rec but idk if i'll have time for that sort of character development LOL)
> 
> anyway, feedback is much appreciated! i'm writing this in a much choppier style than what i'm used to, so i'd love to


	2. pre-production ii

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh, thank you for all of the support! it really means a lot to me. c:
> 
> just a head's up: this chapter is the last pre-television show chapter, so after this, we'll be starting on the first episode of the show. you'll be meeting the twelve kiddos here though, so do tell me what you think of them! as a general warning, they may seem a bit ooc at first, but that's something i'll address more at the end of the chapter.
> 
> have fun reading!

**-—production: promotions, introductions, and fan talk—-  
** " _They look like a bunch of fucking wimps. Except that one chick. I guess."_

Levi didn't think his life could escalate any quicker, but somehow, his friends manage to prove otherwise.

The incessant ringing of his phone is like hearing gunshots in a sanctuary and, groaning, he can do nothing else but investigate the interruption.

He picks up the device with a muffled grunt.

" _Levi_!" comes the panicked shriek, "You have to get over here, _quick_. The television network just sprung a _huge_ opportunity and we can't waste it! Hurry!"

It's so early in the morning that Levi isn't even able to register who exactly it was that had been yelling at him over the phone.

He's already up though, so there's nothing he can do but mutter a string of angry curses and get up out of bed. He's about to open the door to his connecting bathroom when his phone buzzes once more—this time, with a text.

_Now is not the time for cleanliness._

Levi doesn't bother hiding his angry curses now and stomps into his shower anyway, not caring too much when he hears yet another tone sound out from his bedside table.

_lol, jk, u nasty wen u dirty_

* * *

"What is it, Hange."

It's not a question; it's a demand.

The individual before Levi turns around nonchalantly, clearly not all too frightened by their friend's tone. "The station sent out an e-mail stating that they were willing to give us a full episode slot _just_ for promotions that they would later chop up into smaller fragments to air as commercials—but only if we can have something filmed, edited, and sent to them by the end of the day."

"The fuck."

"Yeah, Erwin's kind of freaking out in his office right now."

The two stare at one another.

Levi groans again, realizing that he wasn't actually called to be a part of the last-minute planning crew (which would have been bad enough), but is instead, the one-man Erwin Smith pep team (which is a whole lot worse). There's no talking himself out of this though. Whenever he catches himself into an argument with Hange, it feels like they're both running around in circles and he honestly doesn't need even _more_ stress this morning.

Seeing that he's come to see it their way, Hange shoots him a wide grin, forces a cup of coffee that _isn't_ black into his hands, and shoos him along his way.

"Oh, Levi, since you're host, I'll make sure to have Petra hand you your script sometime later today. Don't forget to practice before we start recording!"

The man debates whether or not he should douse himself in the dark liquid within his hands but quickly rationalizes that he's just showered and decides that he'll just tough it up.

He's a brave man.

* * *

It takes three hours of repeating "Yes, Erwin. It'll be fine, Erwin" for said man to finally believe him and join in the last-minute arrangement fest.

Hange's been on the phone non-stop while their assistant, Moblit, frantically runs errand; Mike and Nanaba are instructing a series of staff members on how to pick up each contestant from their respective hotel and transport them here without running into one another; Oluo is cursing at his subordinates for not arranging the set properly; Gunther is running back and forth with various electronic equipment and passing them onto Eld, who seems to be directing the tech crew, and when Petra hands him a stapled stack of papers with an apologetic grin Levi wants to die.

Part of him is glad that he missed a majority of the fuss, but now he's probably going to look like an idiot over and over again in front of all these people because he didn't get enough time to memorize a stupid script that he doesn't even care about.

 _Great_.

Looking up in time to see his boss's annoyed expression, Eld winks. "The teleprompter should be set up in about ten minutes."

Levi thanks the heavens that Erwin decided to hire him a personal assistant.

* * *

The arrivals of each of the twelve contestants are scheduled thirty minutes apart so that they each can be carted into a room to film their introduction then led back to their hotel room without bumping into another contestant. It's essentially foolproof.

Levi and Petra have already filmed a vague introduction to the show, but most of the talking is done by Petra and Erwin—who can apparently choose on his own will whether or not he has to talk during things like this. The brunet chooses not to complain, however. He's totally fine with just brooding.

They're about to go ahead and film the conclusion to the promotional episode, but Nanaba interrupts with word that the first contestant has arrived, so all the members of the production crew shuffle behind the cameras and lights and microphones, all with varying degrees of excitement.

* * *

**introduction one**

The lights on the set flicker on to reveal a sizable young man, all tan muscle and bleached blond hair. Defined cheek bones protrude from his face and eyes squint at the camera while an easy grin takes hold on his features. He's seated on a stool positioned in front of a simple red background clad in a faded designer t-shirt and a pair of old blue jeans.

"Yo," he starts, raising one of his hands to wave lightly at the camera. "The name's Reiner Braun. I wouldn't call myself the most interesting guy, but I'm definitely happy to be here!"

He pauses awkwardly, not knowing what else to say, before allowing an uneasy laugh to echo throughout the room.

"I played on varsity football when I was in high school and was captain of the swim team for four years. After high school, I had originally planned to—" Reiner pauses for a moment, catching himself, looking as though he's become temporarily lost within his own thoughts. He covers it up fairly well, however, with a light shrug. "I'll be attending Village College this year in the fall. Woo! Go Titans!"

Having nothing left to say, he shoots the camera another warm smile as he opens the envelope on his lap and reads it aloud: " _It doesn't matter what others say—write your own story."_

He continues to stare at the paper in thought and the camera cuts off.

A single word flashes on-screen.

_lost_

* * *

**introduction two**

The lights flicker on to reveal the same scene as the one previous, but now, the boy sitting on the stool is of an average height and an average build and an average face. He looks awkward in his own skin, in his white button-up and lilac cardigan and tan pants that have been rolled up to his ankles. And yet, at the same time, there's a painted facade of comfort that he's allowed to devour him. He's a little contradiction all rolled into one, and it's strange and it's odd and it doesn't make any particular sense.

Bright blues that had been downcast and fumbling with the envelope in his lap quickly flicker upwards to meet the gaze of the camera. He blinks, and it's almost as though he's surprised—but then he smiles, and the expression seems to consume all of his features as his eyes disappear and his mouth widens to reveal pearly white teeth.

There's no denying that he looks like the average boy-next-door and maybe that's a good thing and maybe it's not.

"Hi! My name's Armin Arlert. I'm sorry if I'm a bit awkward, I've never been that good at talking to people." He shifts his weight around on the seat as though to prove his point before continuing, "I'm really looking forward to participating in this competition, and I hope that you'll enjoy watching it and supporting all of us here. I haven't met anyone yet, but I'm sure they're all going to be great people."

Another smile, equally as forced as the previous.

He proceeds to open his envelope, raising the paper so that the camera—and therefore, the audience—can see it as well. It's a bright blue piece of cardstock, and as he continues to flip it over and squint at it in confusion, the camera cuts off.

_denial_

* * *

**introduction three**

This time, it's a girl seated on the stool in front of the camera: bored icy blue eyes, white-blonde hair, pale complexion. She wears an old hoodie the color of the sky paired with gray skinny jeans and worn sandals.

She regards the camera cooly for a moment, almost as though she's sizing up the figures that lay on the other side, before calmly stating, "Annie Leonhardt. Eighteen."

There's muttering from offscreen, someone telling her to speak more.

A shrug.

"What else is there to say?"

She opens the envelope—much to the chagrin of the offscreen production crew—and reads: " _It's the journey; not the destination."_

Her eyebrow quirks upward as she allows herself a curt laugh. "Ha, _bullshit_."

_abuse_

* * *

**introduction four**

On the stool now sits a short boy with a wide, honest smile and a shaven head.

When he notices that the camera has turned on, his eyebrows raise themselves in genuine surprise and, if possible, the excitement on his features intensify. "Hi! I'm Connor Springer, but please, call me 'Connie' because 'Connor' just doesn't fit me. I'll probably get it legally changed one day, but in all honesty, that just sounds like a whole lot of unnecessary work. So I'll probably just keep putting it off for a while." He shrugs carelessly, his dark blue and green baseball tee moving with his shoulders in synchronization.

He rambles a bit more, easily finding more to say about himself than those who had been filmed before him: he likes baseball and Super Smash Bros and corny jokes and his mom made him take cooking classes which kind of suck because cooking is just _not_ his thing.

Petra has to gently signal to him that he's overdoing it a bit with a few awkward hand motions, but thankfully, he notices them rather quickly and offers the camera an apologetic smile as he opens his envelope.

" _The real enemy is who you'd least expect._ "

He blinks.

"Did you get this from a fucking fortune cookie or something?"

_dependent_

* * *

**introduction five**

The next boy's skin is painted with delicate freckles and atop his head sits greasy hair that's parted haphazardly in the middle. There's a kind of lopsided excitement dancing on his features as he stares at the camera.

And he just kind of stares.

Hange has to gently coax him from the sidelines to say something, and when she finally gets his attention, he jumps in surprise.

"O-Oh! Right. Haha." The young man looks nervous now as he scratches behind his ear awkwardly. "My name is Marco Bodt and I'm very happy to be on this show."

Marco continues to stare at the camera with the same confused smile on his face.

Realizing that there isn't going to be much to work with here, Petra signs him the go-ahead to open up his envelope, which he very quickly does.

" _Keep yourself together."_

The expression drops immediately and his freckles stand out brighter against the newfound paleness of his skin.

_anxiety_

* * *

**introduction six**

The next contestant on the stool is a young woman who hardly looks of age to be on the show: slight frame, large blue eyes, and stylish clothes that—although they look beautiful on her—are clearly too big. Spun gold is mussed towards her right side in a messy tussle of waves and it's difficult to tell whether the blush on her cheeks is natural or simply brushed on. She wears an over-sized russet sweater over a high-waisted floral skirt, gray tights, and an expression that's not exactly blank but not exactly emotional either.

When she looks up at the camera, it's with a coy, flirtatious smile, but her eyes seem to sparkle with something that's anything but friendly.

"Hi. My name is Historia Reiss, heiress to the famous Reiss industries—I suppose. A quick Google search will reveal that such words aren't really the case." She allows herself a laugh laced with mirth, somehow still maintaining the impression of innocence on her features as the producers behind the cameras glance at one another nervously. "I'm interested to see what kind of scenario is going to play out on this show, just as much as you guys at home are."

A thoughtful expression.

Someone signs for her to open her envelope which she does with a disinterested shrug. " _Your identity is your largest secret."_

She blinks in earnest surprise at the words, looking past the camera and directly at the production crew that stands behind it uncomfortably. It's ultimately Levi that comes up from behind the camera and explains to both the young woman and the audience: "Historia, you'll be using the alias, 'Krista Lenz,' within our show."

She snorts at this. Something about it seems half-hearted.

Levi raises a brow at her reaction but says nothing. As he walks away from her, back to his position behind the scenes, the camera zooms in on Historia's features as she struggles to maintain her stoic composure.

Her lip quivers.

_ipseity_

* * *

**introduction seven**

Replacing the frail girl before her is a tall woman with skin darkened by the sun and a splash of sharp freckles across her cheeks. An old baggy t-shirt with some crude saying that _probably_ needs to be censored out clads her torso, the front tucked into a pair of comfortable joggers. A beanie reading a few more extremities sits pinned atop her head with some dark brown fringe framing the permanent scowl on her features.

"Hey. My name's Ymir. I'm basically here because I figure that if I'm not, I'm going to get thrown into jail since I'm actually _legal_ now and that thought annoys the shit out of me."

She throws her head back to laugh at herself, amused by her own joke despite the crew's failure to see anything really funny about it.

(Levi though is smiling because _this kid_ , at least, has some real spunk to her.)

"I'm hoping to win this for my own personal gain because like _hell_ I'm actually going to go back to school—fuck that shit—I just want the money to buy my own private island away from all the goddamn cocksuckers that surround me."

A wide, cocky smirk from the young woman, and this is it, Levi's almost fucking positive that he knows who he wants to root for.

Ymir cuts the envelope open cleanly with the edge of her nail with unfathomable ease, raising the paper up to read it: " _Keep her safe_ — _she'll come in handy."_

She crinkles her nose in disgust at the message, before turning to stare at the camera. "Is someone fucking with me right now?"

_misanthropic_

* * *

**introduction eight**

The lights flicker on to shine atop the brightly colored hair of the next contestant on the stool, her dyed red locks pulled back into a careless ponytail and her sidebangs accentuating the mischievous nature of her sparkling hazel eyes. She's wearing an oversized miscellaneously patterned sweater paired with a horizontally striped skirt and laced combat boots; the outfit as unique and vibrant as her character.

"Hello!" she cheers with a silly grin. "My name's Sasha Braus and I'm looking forward to being on this show and meeting everyone! It's definitely going to be a lot of fun. I'm from a rural family out in the countryside, so I don't really get opportunities like this often. In all honesty, I signed up to be here for the fun above all else, so I really hope that the others here aren't _too_ boring."

She winks playfully at the camera as she giggles at her own thoughts. "Here's to the best, right? This is going to be _awesome_."

Sasha flashes another cheery smile before reading the piece of paper that she's already fished out of the envelope. " _Honesty is the best policy."_

It takes a moment for her to process the words, but once she does, she doesn't have much of a reaction. She offers an innocent shrug at the camera, then shifts her focus back to the paper in her hands.

_compulsive_

* * *

**introduction nine**

The next guy's a real character.

He sits on the stool as though it is a throne and he is its lazy king, his seemingly laidback posture suggesting an air of arrogant confidence to his persona. He's clad in an off-white polo with buttons left open to allow a glimpse of sharp collarbones and the sleeves rolled up to further accentuate his lean build. His slim fit jeans are folded a number of times so that the length of the pants reside a little higher than his ankles. A pair of colorfully tinted sunglasses adorns his features that are otherwise long, but undebatably handsome. His hairstyle is that of an undercut, the top portion styled in purposed disarray, and for some reason, just from looking at him, it's obvious that he's one of those guys that probably sprays too much Axe in the men's locker room.

"Hello," he starts, voice smooth and confident and even, "My name's Jean Kirstein and I'm from Trost."

It seems that he suddenly remembers that he's wearing glasses and he quickly takes them off, placing them in the pocket of his shirt, before offering a cocky smirk. "Like everyone else here—I hope—I'm confident in my victory and I'm not interested in going down without a fight. I have one goal in mind and I have no interest in anything else: I refuse to let anything distract me. That being said, I'm looking forward to your support? It's definitely going to be an interesting ride."

With that said, he opens his envelope, reads, " _Love is in the air_ — _but for who?_ "

He turns his dumbstruck stare to the camera and deadpans, "Seriously?"

_narcissist_

* * *

**introduction ten**

There's a striking similarity somewhere between this boy and the last but it's difficult to put it to a name.

This young man sits in a comfortable position that radiates humility and an easygoing nature. His eyes—an unnaturally bright shade of green-gold-blue—look perpetually glazed over, almost as though he is permanently wandering through the dreams of his own creation. He wears a faded band t-shirt and pair of dark ripped jeans and as he stares at the camera, chin resting on his hand in a position that could almost suggest boredom despite the life flickering in his eyes, he smirks.

It's nothing like Jean's; while the former's smile is all exuberant confidence, Eren's smile is of a secret that only he knows and, if you're lucky, maybe he'll choose to share it with you.

When he speaks, it's with a certain gravelly tone that none of the members of the production crew had originally expected from him. "Eren," he states simply. "I'm eighteen. Not really interested in going to college—I don't feel like they have much to offer me there—but I'm definitely interested in the chance to have my own TV show. I just think it'd be really cool to see the world, and if I win and you guys like me, it would be cool if you guys could see it too."

The answer is simple and straightforward: no confusing body language, no hidden meanings within his words, no misleading character traits—everything about Eren screams genuity and honesty. "It's my dream as of now," he starts, and suddenly there's a firm resolve in his voice as he raises his head from its resting position and sits up a little straighter. "And I don't care if I have to go through hell and back to take hold of it."

With that said, he tears the envelope open.

" _Be the last man standing._ "

Eren snorts. " _Easy._ "

_reckless_

* * *

**introduction eleven**

The woman that replaces Eren on the seat is absolutely nothing like him. While the previous boy had seemed comfortable in his own skin and held a laidback demeanor towards everything happening around him, this woman sits stiffly on the stool and has a thin veil of sweat threatening to drip down her forehead.

She doesn't look like a teenager based on her clothing alone: white dress shirt, brown leather jacket, and dark-washed jeans. She looks too stoic, too uptight, too _adult_ , and on a show that focuses on teenagers growing up with one another for a month or two, it's clear that she's going to stand out from the others on looks alone. The only thing that offers a sense of life is the black ebony of her hair, reaching down to just below her shoulders in a silky stream with bangs that shadow fragments of her gray eyes.

She's pretty, really. Her beauty is blatant and simple. Unavoidable.

"Hello. My name is Mikasa," she says. And then she turns quiet because she's not quite sure what else she's supposed to say.

Her eyes flick upwards through her lashes and her bangs to meet those behind the camera.

Levi knows instantly that she's in a panic and prays that she doesn't say anything that she'll regret later.

There's clear hesitation on the young brunette's part as her lips part with no words to flow through them. "I've been taught privately my entire life," she manages, and the next piece tumbles out of her mouth without her approval. "I just want to make friends."

She's mortified.

The blush consumes her features and that's it, she wants to _disappear_ , and taking pity on his cousin, Levi almost cuts the tape right then and there.

Eld won't allow it though. Something about how it wouldn't be fair to the other contestants.

Eager to get off the camera, she fumbles with the envelope in her lap—which is even more embarrassing because _God_ , she's usually so _composed_ —and reads, " _If he wins, you do too._ "

Her eyes are wide and frantic and searching when she turns back up to look at the camera.

_destitute_

* * *

**introduction twelve**

The final contestant is tall and lanky and has been sweating under the stagelights on the stool for a while now, even before the camera had began to film. He's wearing a collared blue and white sweater with matching white shorts and this expression that makes him look as though he wants to puke.

"Hi," he slowly begins, taking a moment to adjust the collar around his neck. "I'm Bertholdt."

A moment of silence.

"In all honesty, I only signed up for this because my friend didn't want to do it alone. Oddly enough, I made the cast and he didn't."

Another moment of silence.

"I'm sorry," he mutters. "I hope that I'll still have support though, despite my admitting to that."

He's run out of things to do.

The envelope is opened, but there's nothing inside.

Bertholdt blinks, once, twice.

He really looks like he's going to puke now.

_?_

* * *

"Wow, Levi, don't all of these contestants look amazing! I'm so excited to see what they'll have in store for us," Petra exclaims with an excited clap of her hands, easily falling into her role of "super happy, super peppy host that supports all of the endeavors of the contestants."

Levi offers a shrug. "There's not much to go off of right now. They look like a bunch of fucking wimps. Except that one chick. I guess."

Levi's role is "asshole host who constantly chooses to take a shit on the contestants and their personal lives." When he realizes this, he simultaneously realizes that he doesn't even _need_ a script, and that comforts him to no end.

She chastises him playfully for his negativity (which is probably going to happen a lot, but oh well, you win some you lose some), before turning back to the camera with another grin. " _Teenage Wasteland_ will be premiering next Friday night at eight o'clock sharp! Don't forget to give us—or any of our contestants—a shout-out before then and we'll feature it on the show!"

Petra throws in words like "hashtag" and "liking on Facebook" and "follow us" and Levi kind of cringes because _ew_ , social media.

"Until then," Levi finishes with a half-hearted wave. "These asswipes probably need all the support they can get from you because they sure as hell aren't getting it from me and it'll be a while before they even learn to respect one another."

A carefree shrug.

The woman at his side says something else in a bubbly voice, some cheesy catchphrase of a sort, and the camera clicks off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow, i hope that wasn't too dragging. otl. i usually don't like introducing characters this way (telling you their character traits instead of just showing them), but i feel like in the case of this story, there's definitely an appeal: they appear as one way when they're still strangers to you, but as the story continues and you get to know them more, it's clear that they're not all that they seem. i tried to hint at that with their respective missions and single "description" word, so hopefully you guys find that at least a little bit interesting, haha.
> 
> there's also going to be a confessional on the show when it actually starts and it's going to be just as choppy as it was here (probably with more actual plot between each confession though, lol), so i guess i also just wanted the practice, haha
> 
> i thought it would be fun to make this somewhat interactive, so like, some of your comments can affect what the producers think which will, in turn, affect the contestants. most of this is just to decide who gets little competitive perks for now though and someone will get the label of being "most talked about" in the next chapter (the first episode), lol
> 
> (also, remember, third-place is decided by fan votes, and fans mean you guys, so yay interactive featuresss /shot)
> 
> okay, this a/n is dragging on a little too far, haha. i'm really excited to start the actual plot though! it's going to be a blast, haha
> 
> feedback, as always, is super appreciated! i'd really like to know what you guys think of the characters so far. c:


	3. episode i part i

"Shit."

"We didn't think this through."

"Shit."

"Levi's going to kill us."

"Shit."

"What if we make a human sacrifice?"

Levi, who had earlier decided to ignore everything that came out of the mouths of his new co-workers due to the fact that he would be spending the next two to three months on a private island with only them to keep him company, allows himself to be dragged into the discussion. He raises his glare to eye the other individuals aboard the Smith's private jet from his seated position in the corner, not bothering to raise his chin from its resting position atop his fist. "What is it _now_?"

Mike and Nanaba are the ones flying the goddamn ship, Oluo's passed out in the lavatory (apparently he's prone to motion sickness and goes through this constantly for the sake of his job—the poor guy), Gunther's fallen asleep, and Eld, Petra, Hange, and Erwin are crowded together on the opposite side of the aircraft, all four of them frozen as though they've been caught stealing from a metaphoric cookie jar.

Erwin's repetitive mutters of "shitshitshit" have intensified in their volume and tempo and Petra's shaking and Eld is trying to dissociate himself from the conversation and Hange has this really forced really fake smile on their lips.

"What _is it_ _now_?" Levi repeats through grit teeth.

"SHITSHITSHITSHIT."

"W-What do you mean? I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Look, Mr. Ackerman, I had nothing to do with this conversation, I swear—"

"We miscalculated the sleeping arrangements on the island and had worried more about where the contestants would stay, so it looks like the nine of us will have to sleep outside in tents. But don't worry! Erwin says he thinks that there's a big enough shed by the house on the island for us to protect our equipment."

Erwin, Petra, and Eld all turn to look at Hange with varying degrees of fear, anger, and hopelessness.

Then they turn to Levi.

No words are spoken.

And then a loud, resounding, " _FUCKING GODDAMMIT, I HATE YOU ALL_."

At the front of the plane, Nanaba turns to look at Mike. "Seems like Levi's found out about the sleeping arrangements."

The man beside her nods. "Props to us for volunteering to pilot the plane so that we wouldn't have to be there for that awkward discussion."

"Though I'm surprised they believed us when we told them that we knew how to fly a plane."

Mike laughs, loud and booming, "We're fine as long as we don't crash. What they don't know won't hurt them."

They both smirk at their cleverness before giving each other a high five.

"Oh, hey, watch out, the air pressure light is blinking red."

"Yeah, we probably need to take care of that."

"How do we do that?"

"I have absolutely no fucking clue."

* * *

**-—episode one: awkward introductions—-  
** erwin would like to fuck traditions in the ass and not title this 'pilot'

"Levi, Petra, are you all set?"

Petra grins at Hange and Erwin who stand behind the cameras, offering them an exuberant nod. Levi, on the other hand, rolls his eyes and and gives them a single bob of the head to signal that nothing could be worse than the horrid turbulence of the flight that they had _just_ managed to survive.

The camera clicks on.

"Hello and welcome to _Teenage Wasteland_! Reality television's biggest newcomer where the gathered individuals compete against one another while striving for self-improvement," the woman atop the platform starts, quickly gaining back the attention from the production crew. "My name is Petra Ral—"

"And I'm Levi Ackerman."

"And we'll be your hosts for the next few months!"

Hange kind of regrets not allowing some of the applicants to appear on this first episode just to stand in front of the raised platform and cheer every time Petra or Levi said something—it would've made for great for publicity. However, they don't allow themselves to dwell on it for too long, and instead erupts into a loud cheer to fill in the noise gap while making a mental note to tell the editors to add in an appropriate soundtrack.

The brunet host takes the wheel now, turning to Petra with a hint of an amiable expression beginning to take place on his features. "The kids are starting to arrive on the island and will be meeting us—and each other—for the first time in a matter of minutes. Petra, is there anyone in particular that caught your eye during the interviews?"

She chuckles, shifting from her position onstage to face him, her light blue summer dress matching nicely with the short-sleeved dress shirt Erwin had thrown at him ten minutes ago. "That's tough to say! I definitely have my eyes set on Eren though: he seems like such a romantic and we all need more of those in the world," another sound of excitement bubbles forth from her throat. "And hey, didn't your younger cousin make the cut to appear on the show, Levi?"

He scowls at her, turning his head away from facing her, "Tch. Yeah, Mikasa."

"I'm assuming that you're cheering for her then?"

There are a million ways in which he could respond to her, but he chooses to simply say, "It wouldn't be fair if I let my familial ties bias me towards one contestant or another—not that it really matters." He turns his eyes to her as though to silently warn, "And don't you dare bring it up in front of the others," but does nothing beyond that.

Petra shoots him a glare for the shortest of seconds—long enough to silently voice her displeasure in what he assumes must be a boring response but short enough to not catch the attention of the viewers at home—before turning back to face something beyond the camera. "Oh, look! The contestants have arrived on the island and are now making their way to the stage!"

Sure enough, a variety of small sailboats have made it to dock, and twelve teenagers are making their way to their hosts. Some are already trying to start up some casual chatter with one another, but it's impossible for any conversation to get too in-depth since the distance between the dock and the stage isn't that far. For the most part, the contestants each seem to be sizing the other up: some with innocent curiosity in their stares, others with the gleam of a manipulator's.

They line up on the stage behind Petra and Levi as they had been instructed via scribbled instructions on a napkin handed to them by the captains of the ships that they each respectively departed from this morning. As they walk past the cameras, there are varying degrees of smiles, glares, and nonchalant glances they share with the viewers at home.

Levi allows himself to regard his younger cousin carefully, just to make sure that she doesn't do something dumb to embarrass herself yet again.

Knowing that she's being watched, Mikasa shoots him a pointed look and makes herself absolutely sure that she will not trip by keeping her eyes fixed on the floor in front of her.

It makes her look nervous and shy, but oh well, Levi figures, it's better than having her faceplant on television. He probably wouldn't be able to talk Erwin and Hange into editing that bit out.

"Wow, Levi, look at all of them!"

"I don't want to. Why the hell are they gigantic."

"We're just short, Levi."

The man beside her mumbles a string of curses, not aware that when he turned his head away from his co-host, he succeeded in voicing all of his agitation directly into the mic.

No one decides to stop him in fear that it'll only make him angrier.

Petra recovers rather smoothly, angling her body so that she can speak to the newcomers face to face while simultaneously facing the cameras. "Hi, everyone! Although you've already introduced yourselves to our viewers at home, we might as well do another round since none of you are familiar with one another. Names alone should be fine."

She gestures to a blonde woman on the left side of the stage, and each individual proceeds to state their name with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

It's not very exciting and Levi cringes because man, these kids are awkward as _hell_ and it only takes one look at Erwin behind the camera to know that the blond is putting all of his faith in Levi right now and dear _God_ , Levi has no idea why.

He's thankful that Petra seems to have a plethora of experience with this though, because she lightly teases the tall boy at the end who is sweating buckets and has at least gotten some kind of reaction out of the rest of the contestants.

With that done, she shoots another smile at the camera as though wow, these kids are _super_ fun, and Levi wonders who the hell will manage to believe her (though he imagines that a whole troupe of Petra fanboys will, at the very least). "Now that that's done and over with, Levi and I will explain a few rules before we release you on today's mission. Levi?"

"You squirts aren't allowed to talk to one another about your missions. Anyone that asks another for help or mentions it in passing will be eliminated from the competition and sent home. This is literally the only way you can be disqualified and it's easy to avoid. Don't fuck it up."

"There are a few clever ways that you can get around this, of course," Petra chimes in, the perfect optimist to match Levi's blunt nature. "We'll leave that up to your imagination, however. If you want to take the risk though, know that you will receive no warning and will immediately be sent home if it's decided that you blatantly shared your mission."

"Cameras are posted everywhere throughout the island except within the bathrooms. Yes, there are cameras in the bedrooms, so don't do anything there that you wouldn't want the world to see."

"He means changing. Change in the bathrooms, everyone!"

"I mean that they they shouldn't do anything in the bedrooms that they wouldn't want the world to see." Levi repeats, shooting a glare to the contestants behind him. "We're not shooting a porno."

A few teens laugh, others blush, and Petra stiffens.

" _Levi_ ," she hisses, "Look at your teleprompter."

He glares at her and whispers back, "I don't _need_ it."

" _Look at the goddamn teleprompter_."

He rolls his eyes but does so anyway just to shut her up.

What he sees makes him want to vomit and what the hell, no _way_ does he want to talk about this, but Petra is shooting him a pointed look and Erwin is looking at him expectantly, and man, just fuck his life.

"The other room that has no cameras in it," he manages through grit teeth, "Is a room with a god _awful_ name that one of our staff members, Hange, came up with, and it's cheesy as hell and I'm going to spare you all the agony of hearing it aloud because the agony of reading the name from this damned teleprompter is hellish enough. It's, uh—"

"It's a room for intimacy," Petra finishes for him, saving her poor co-host from his bundled up awkwardness. "You guys are all of age and I'm sure that you know what it entails. Just use it sparingly, okay?"

They all have the decency to look mildly embarrassed, save for Jean and Ymir who are still looking at the cameras with almost identical steadfast expressions.

Levi doesn't even want to meet his cousin's stare because oh _God_ , she wouldn't do that kind of stuff with these dorks, right?

Seeing that his friend has probably lost all of his coherency for the time being, Erwin steps from behind the camera and is famous enough to easily be recognized by the contestants and the viewers at home alike. "Anywho," he starts, making his way atop the platform, "As you all know, this is a private island that belongs to my family. You'll all be staying within in the family mansion. It's three stories: the main entrance leads to the second floor, six of you will live on the third, and the other six will live on the first. Most of the interesting stuff can be found on the main floor, which is the second: the kitchen, living room, entertainment area, bar, and swimming pool. You're all eighteen, so you're legal to drink. Just, please, don't overdo it."

Ymir laughs.

Erwin shoots her a nervous look.

Petra takes over. "The third floor has rooms that each feature a lovely view of the island, state of the art, recently refurbished bathrooms, customized designer closets, personalized home entertainment centers, and king-sized mattresses. There's a maid that'll come by once a day to clean up after you, so you won't have to worry about cleaning up after yourself."

The teenagers look excited by this fact.

"The first floor is more like a basement than anything else and there's a single window in the hallway that has a pretty awesome view of tree trunks if you're the kind of guy that finds that kind of thing aesthetic," Levi adds, reviving himself for just long enough to deliver the bad news because it's all he really has to look forward to for the next few months. "Your closet is double my size—so not much—with standard bathrooms, twin-sized mattresses, and we didn't bother to take the time to clean it up."

The kids look disgusted.

"And you also don't get a maid."

The expressions intensify.

"There's also no electronics down there and the signal sucks."

They really look mortified now.

"And if you're a first-floor contestant, you're not allowed to enter the third-floor. And vice-versa."

He thinks that he's gotten the cocky one—Jean—to at least look like he's about to faint, and that's the biggest accomplishment that Levi could ever ask for.

"But don't worry! You still get a say in where you'll be staying—sort of," Petra chimes in.

Erwin nods in agreement, "Our first competition of the day is architecturally-based and was the idea of Levi here."

The brunet smirks, knowing what's coming, and he kind of wants to laugh because this will probably be the only mission that he'll enjoy hosting.

"You'll be split into three groups of four, and your goal is to each set up some kind of structure where the production crew will be sleeping. All you have to work with is the tent we provide you with and whatever you can find on the island. Points will be awarded for functionality, creativity, and judge's votes. Judges, of course, will be Levi, Petra, and I, plus our friend and advertising manager, Hange."

Said individual offers an excited wave.

"The groups have been pre-determined, but feel free to talk to others that aren't in your group. In the long run, the groups themselves don't really matter." Petra pauses, realizing that she has to clarify. "Groups will just be working together in order to get an advantage for the next round. There's been one individual that's been leading the popularity charts since the teasers aired, and it's that person that's going to get to pick who lives on the floor with them."

"So make sure that you suck up to one another," Levi adds. "Though I suppose that if you're the popular kid, everyone will either love you or hate you, so you can't really win."

They look nervous now.

Petra grins, "Good luck!"

* * *

**[ REC o ]**

"Looks like they forgot to mention the confessional booth and the fucking terrible condition it's in," the young man mutters, adjusting the video camera before sitting on a stool in what seems to be a shed. It's not too difficult to recognize the arrogant man who had first made his debut on-screen about a week ago. Jean looks as annoyed as ever as he crinkles his nose in disgust, surveying the cramped area around him. "I'm pretty sure that I'm supposed to be collecting supplies for my group's makeshift shelter, but Mr. Smith wouldn't leave me alone until I agreed to shoot one of these. So, here I am, I guess."

He sighs, angrily muttering about how it smells like someone recently took a dump within the confines of the room.

"Not sure what to really say right now—there's not really anything to confess. Though I _will_ say that I'm fucking _pissed_ about the circumstances revolving around the rooming arrangements. Like hell I'm going to be sleeping in the fucking basement, but I'm not going to suck anyone's dick to get on the third floor either?" He scowls. "I'm banking on my popularity, but God knows what else is going on with the other contestants. I've only managed to talk to my group so far, and the only one who says anything is this chick named Ymir. I literally have not gotten to talk—let alone _meet_ —anyone else in my group because Ymir will not shut up. God fucking damn."

The young man releases a defeated sigh. "I'm not even going to complain about these awful outfits they have us wearing," he says, gesturing to an obnoxiously orange shirt with the show's logo on the front and a pair of generic white boardshorts. "At least I don't have to get _my own_ clothes dirty."

* * *

Jean trudges back towards the general site of his group, but unfortunately, has zero sense of direction and has difficulty finding his way back through the forest. It takes over half an hour for him to get back to the beach, and goddamn, Erwin fucking Smith could have _at least_ been courteous enough to walk him back to where he was before, but well, just fuck everything, Jean's in a bad mood.

"What the hell took you so long, pretty boy?" comes a feminine sneer as slanted eyes narrow even more in distaste.

The young man returns the annoyed expression, ruffling his hair to get a leaf or two out of his locks. "Mr. Smith asked me to film the first confessional of the show. I also prefer 'gorgeous stud' as opposed to 'pretty boy,' thank you very much."

Ymir rolls her eyes in disgust, being sure to accentuate her annoyance. "You didn't even come back with anything. You're absolutely useless. Probably more useless than that Reiner kid and that fucking _says something_ because he cracked a joke at Levi and when the shortstack told him to run around the island fifty times, he actually _agreed_ to doing it." She snorts. "At least he actually got something _finished_ before he decided to be a dumb piece of shit."

Jean scoffs in disbelief, "Chill out. It's a big island. I got lost. Shit happens."

"Mikasa here is quiet as fuck and she's done more than you have in the past hour, dumbass. You're all lip."

"We _literally_ just got on this island, how the hell was I _not_ supposed to get lost?" He thinks that at this point, he's about to step towards the shorter woman in an attempt to intimidate her into shutting up (as though it would work), but catches himself at the last minute.

Wait, Mikasa? Is that the name of his other group member?

He blinks for a moment for surprise, before turning his attention away from Ymir and towards the seated girl on the ground.

The world freezes.

She's sitting on the sandy floor of the beach, pale skin burning under the heat of the sun and long black hair clinging to her exposed collarbones. Her brightly colored shirt has been abandoned in favor of a plain white tank-top that she had been wearing underneath, and there's something about her posture and the way she hugs her knees to her chest as she rests her back against the trunk of the tree. Her eyes are tired and dim as she glances up at him quietly from her seated position, chapped lips slightly parted in innocent curiosity. There's something familiar about her and Jean feels this horrid churning in his stomach that makes him want to throw up and oh no, fuck, _shit._

Moments of silence have passed, much to Ymir's growing amusement as she throws her head back in a sardonic laugh. "Fuck, Kirstein, you're a _real_ piece of work!"

He flushes in anger.

"S-Shut up!"

* * *

Armin's still trying to learn names, so for now, he's dubbed each of his group members with a nickname: excited hyena, eager puppy, and genderbent twin.

Their real names are Connie, Eren, and Krista, respectively.

Despite his original beliefs, the group manages a nice, lighthearted atmosphere, and he's actually kind of enjoying his experience on the show so far. They've decided to build their "ninja camp" ("Because the short host guy looks like a killer ninja that'll probably swoop in when we're sleeping and poke us with french fries since blondie won't let him have real knives," Connie had explained) on the very edge of the forest, sheltered by the trees instead of out in the open. It has a nice view of the ocean (though _any_ view of the ocean could probably be considered a nice one) and now that they've managed to set up the tent, they're working on thinking of a way to make it more unique.

"I mean, what if no one else manages to figure out how to put the tent together?" Connie asks with a tone of innocent laziness in his voice as he allows himself to flop down onto the sand in front of the tent.

Eren lets something that sounds like a mix between a snort and a laugh rip through the air as he falls into position next to Connie. They've both taken off their shirts and tied them around their heads to create makeshift turbans in a mild attempt to protect themselves from the heat. Eren had considered finding and crushing berries that they could paint onto their faces so that they could act as stoic guard decor in an attempt to gain originality points. Krista had shut him down immediately with a light laugh and the reminder that if Levi stayed in this tent, he probably wouldn't let them leave at night to sleep in the house. Connie had backed her up with the insistence that if they tried too hard to impress him, he'd probably cut them down with his french fry swords.

Armin's not too sure when Levi became the butt of their jokes, but he didn't complain and had laughed aloud with the rest of them.

"I'm pretty sure the tent came with instructions," Armin throws in, choosing not to mention that Eren and Connie had decidedly thrown them away with not so much as a second glance. "If they can't read, then that alone is pretty depressing."

The green-eyed boy a few feet away laughs at this—sharp and rasp—and then he touches his throat in surprise. "I think I'm getting sick. How the fuck am I already sick."

"Levi probably poisoned your breakfast this morning. You better look out, Eren, it looks like you're his first target."

They all laugh at Connie as Eren picks up some sand and throws it at the lighter boy's face, eyes sparkling with mirth.

"I can't die yet, there are too many things I want to do!"

"Hm? Like what?"

"I want to explore the world," Eren breathes in excitement. Armin is interested to note that, although he's quickly learned that Eren is an incredibly energetic boy, the energy that the brunet possesses has shifted. Rather than the lighthearted joking aura he emulated before, this new aura is full of hope and desire and a certain kind of desperation that Armin can't find the proper words to describe.

It seems that Armin isn't the only one to notice the slight change in atmosphere as Krista has raised her eyes to look up at Eren with an expression that holds much more than innocent curiosity.

If Connie had noticed, he doesn't make it evident. Instead, he rolls onto his side in order to face the brunet boy beside him. "Hey, have you ever played _Kingdom Hearts_?"

Eren's aura shifts once more as he nods in quick excitement. "Yeah, of course! The day Square Enix releases _Kingdom Hearts III_ is the day I die of too many feels. But in all honesty, I'll probably feel the same way when they release _Final Fantasy XV_."

Connie beams at him and it's clear to both Armin and Krista that a strong, clear connection has been made. "Dude, we could pretend that this island is its own little world—"

A gasp of excitement. "Like Destiny Islands!"

"Yeah! C'mon," he says excitedly, jumping upward and holding out his hand to help his companion up. "Let's go explore!"

Eren's eyes widen and it doesn't take long before they're both jumping up and down to shake off the sand. They're about to run off until they both freeze and turn to face the matching sets of blue eyes that linger on their frames.

It's a silent plea for permission and Armin almost laughs at their childish nature. "Go ahead. I'm fine with just banking on the idea that none of the other groups know how to set up a tent."

The duo cheers and high-fives one another before suddenly freezing again and turning to face Krista.

She's looking at them with the smirk of a woman in power and her eyes twinkle in amusement. Eren and Connie both look as though they're about to get on their knees and beg, resulting in a light laugh echoing throughout the air. "You really don't need to ask. Just bring back seashells or something else that we can decorate with."

Connie and Eren both brighten instantaneously, fist-pumping the air and jumping for joy as they race each other along the shoreline.

Armin and Krista are left with one another in silence. Armin's tied his hair in a short ponytail and leans against a tree trunk, arms crossed in thought and one leg bent against its bark. Krista sits across from him, hair tied in a messy bun, and chin resting on her open palm as she stares at him wordlessly.

The realization that hits the two of them is identical in its entirety, synchronous in its occurrence, and vast in its scope of possibilities.

They both part their lips to speak, but noticing that the other has done the same, they both end up saying nothing.

But despite this, the two blondes offer each other hesitant warm smiles and distrust gleaming in blue eyes.

* * *

It's silent as the four work together: Sasha, Annie, Bertholdt, and Marco.

Annie had commandeered the role of leader, smoothly dividing operations and barking sharp, simple orders to those around her.

Sasha, unfortunately, has been struggling to untangle the thick fabric of the tent and has easily lost inspiration to discover a way to do so because of her horrible boredom and the fact that none of her groupmates will respond to anything she says.

Why do they all have to be so _quiet_?

She parts her lips to try to string up another conversation, but she's cut off by a sharp glare from Annie. "You _still_ haven't unfolded that? It's not that hard."

Sasha means to respond intelligently, but it comes out as a mere squeak.

Annie rolls her eyes and snatches it from the redhead, promptly flicking it outward and successfully laying the single sheet on the sand, before turning back to assist with the framework of the tent.

Not knowing what else to do, Sasha sheepishly takes a few steps back, "Uh, I'll go and find some stuff that we can use to decorate then."

She doesn't move again until Annie gives her a sharp nod.

Sasha bolts into the forest.

The silence continues for a moment until Bertholdt casually states, "Well, at least it's finally quiet now."

To the surprise of the two brunet men, Annie throws her head back in a gentle laugh that sounds nothing like the angry barks she had been shouting to them all earlier. For a moment, she actually looks _kind_ and it catches them both offguard.

The laughter is cut off sharply when she pivots to grimace at Marco. "You're _still_ trying to attach that pole?"

Marco pales and Bertholdt isn't sure why he smiles.

* * *

Ymir and Jean are still yelling at each other and Mikasa's really freaking out because now they've dragged _her_ into the conversation and she has no idea what Ymir's talking about when she says that Jean's got the hots for her because wait, does that mean that someone _likes_ her? But she didn't do anything? People are so weird?

"Looks like we have a little _lover boy_ over here," the freckled woman jokes, offering the fuming boy beside her a friendly shove.

The words spark recognition in his eyes and set his body aflame and he growls as he shoves her back.

She blinks at the response, angrily mumbles something about how this dumbfuck doesn't even know how to take a joke, before tackling him.

Unfortunately, Ymir hadn't thought the whole scenario through and succeeds in crushing the tent under both of their body weights as they wrestle one another in the sandy soil.

Mikasa now vaguely understands why Levi had been so adamant on having her homeschooled: interacting with people is confusing as hell and seems to cause a lot more stress than it should.

She makes a movement to stand and attempt to break up the fight, but before she can move, she hears more shouts coming from behind her.

"Whoa, Eren, what was that?"

"I don't know, but we need to check it out!"

And then from a different direction, a concerned squeak and the sound of bare feet rushing towards the scene.

In no time, two shirtless men have shown up—one with a tousle of dark brown hair and another with alarmed hazel eyes—and are attempting to break Jean and Ymir apart, while a redheaded girl stands at the edge of the scene.

Her wide eyes blink before turning to meet Mikasa's in shock as she mutters in confusion, "What the hell's going on?"

Mikasa's about to shrug in honest confusion until the two boys succeed in forcing Jean and Ymir towards opposite sides of the campsite. The four individuals that stand at the center of attention are all red in the face and heaving their chests dramatically—the original combatants more so than the interlopers.

The one to catch his breath first is the newcomer with the golden-green eyes and a sloppily tied t-shirt atop his head that she can only assume is meant to shield his tanned features from the sun. He kind of reminds Mikasa of the sun above their heads, except the boy before her has something within his stare that she can't quite put her finger on, something that doesn't shine as bright as the rest of his personality—

Her thoughts are cut off when the brunet leans down to extend an arm to her with a kind smile and Mikasa realizes that she's kind of just been staring at him and probably weirding him out. Dear God, why did she have to be so bad at this?

She flushes as she takes hold of his hand and he lifts her upward. Mikasa kind of expects him to say something—an introduction maybe?—but he simply turns back around to face the others in the group with a stern expression on his features.

Jean is quick to notice the brief exchange and immediately feels his anger spike up again. Ymir's already laughing hysterically at the other's situation. The brunet boy's furrowed his eyebrows, but it's difficult to tell whether this is due to his annoyance or his frustration. His companion is looking back and forth between all the gathered members in the area, eyes sparkling with confusion, the redheaded girl from earlier mimicking him without even realizing that she's doing so.

"It's our first day here," the hazel-eyed boy says. "We shouldn't fight."

"Kirstein's the one who pushed me first," Ymir answers flippantly, and it's clear that she's lost a significant amount of interest in the conversation already. "I was just trying to defend my honor. And Mikasa's too, I guess."

All at once, four pairs of eyes flicker to the brunette in question as her features immediately turn a bright shade of pink. (Jean's blushing profusely as well and is doing everything he can to avoid the eyes of the others.)

The dots are slowly being connected and Eren doesn't even bother to hear Jean's defense as he turns to glare at the ashen-haired boy. "What the _fuck_? Do you know her or something? You can't just go around hitting on girls that _clearly_ don't want your attention, you perverted creep!"

That's not really what happened and Jean and Ymir both know it, but there's no stopping this guy, it seems—much to Jean's horror.

"No means no, and it was right for her," Eren pauses to gesture towards the freckled woman who has an amused smirk on her features, "to step in and put you in your rightful place." He stops to drag his hand downward across his features, in a mild attempt to calm himself down. " _Seriously_. You're disgusting. I really wish there was a way for us to get people kicked off this island because I can _assure_ _you_ , asshole, that _you_ would be my first choice."

Connie and Sasha share a concerned glance with one another, shocked by the boy's words and not quite sure how they should react.

The rage within the taller boy has accumulated to the point that it's causing him to shake, and in a few strides, he's staring down at the green-eyed newcomer, hands balled into fists at his sides as he tries to restrain himself from causing another fight. "Now _listen here_ , you absolute fucknut: you have no idea what the hell you're talking about and _clearly_ need to chill the fuck down. You and Ymir both. God, I'm surrounded by absolute _assholes_."

Ymir knows that at this point, she doesn't have to respond.

" _I'm_ the asshole?" Eren shrieks, "No, man, fuck you, _you're_ the asshole."

"I said it first."

"What? No, I did!"

And at this point, Eren's grabbing Jean by the shirt and Jean's already shoving and Mikasa doesn't understand what the hell is going on and really kind of wishes that she had listened to Levi and avoided this whole awkward fiasco.

"Um," Sasha starts awkwardly, desperate to break the tension. "How many tickles does it take to make a squid laugh?"

The group grows silent as all eyes turn towards her in confusion.

" _Ten_ -tickles," she finishes lamely, a desperate smile on her face as she hopes to alleviate the stressful situation.

It takes a second as the punchline slowly processes through the minds of each of the individuals, and even when it does, it's only Connie who laughs: loud and unrelenting. She grins widely at him, happy that someone understands her sense of humor, before turning to face the others gathered and losing a bit of her excitement when she realizes that they're still staring at her blankly.

There's another moment of nothingness until Eren grabs Mikasa by the wrist and pulls her after him, explaining, "We need to get you away from this jerk. Guys can be such fucking asswipes, I'm so sorry you had to deal with that," as he calls for Connie to follow suit. The shorter man does so without much hesitation, shooting a friendly wave towards the redheaded girl with the stellar sense of humor as he walks away.

Sasha's left standing somewhere between Jean and Ymir and man, the awkwardness in the air is practically tangible. The man's face is red (from anger, from frustration, from humiliation, the poor guy doesn't seem to be having a fantastic first day) as he kicks at the sand and mutters flustered curses at the air. The freckled woman, on the other hand, stands a few feet behind him with a devilish smirk and crossed arms as she quietly watches.

Sasha is almost entirely certain that she just temporarily abandoned her group in favor of a group that was a hell of a lot worse, and so she mumbles an outrageous excuse before darting away from the site

The two that are left hardly notice her absence.

* * *

**[ REC o ]**

"Well, this is a wonderful first day for me," Ymir starts with a smug grin. "A piece of fucking cake."

She adjusts her seat in the confessional before raking a hand through her dirty brown locks. It's clear that she's annoyed by the fact that she has no means of keeping all of the hair out of her face entirely ("Bobby pins are for losers," she had snubbed her groupmate earlier) but she doesn't allow it to distract her from the main point at hand.

"My mission's pretty clear at this point. 'Keep her safe?' I clearly need to keep Mikasa away from Jeanny-Boy over there and that other kid is my biggest competition. Easy enough." There's a mumble offscreen, someone supplying her with a name, and she thanks them silently with another smirk. "Jaeger, huh? Jaeger and Kirstein are the two I'm duking it out with." A shrug. "I can't complain. At least I won't be bored."

Ymir allows herself a cynical laugh. "Three hot-blooded teenagers fighting over who gets to protect some helpless chick. Sounds like a weird, fucked up version of _The Bachelorette_."

(Behind the scenes, Erwin laughs nervously.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'll be cutting the first part of the episode off here since there's still a lot more to cover and this is starting to get lengthy, haha. unfortunately, i can't guarantee that i'll have the next chapter ready by next friday. i've been keeping myself ahead of the chapter postings by writing some of them ahead of time, and unfortunately, i wasn't able to continue writing from where i had left off. i'm still hoping to update sometime next week, of course. i just can't guarantee friday.
> 
> anywho, we finally have some contestant interaction! that's really exciting, right? haha. what do you think of everyone's relationship with one another so far?
> 
> and i didn't realize until after i had posted the chapter that i hadn't really clarified how the "voting" thing would work. so i went ahead and added a poll to my profile on ff.net (https://www.fanfiction.net/~eleutheromaniac) where you can vote for the contestants that you think are the most interesting at the end of each episode, and each vote will count as one tally mark. voting through reviews is still recommended (that way you can tell me what it was that you liked about the character and i can improve c;) and each review-vote will count as two tally marks.
> 
> both methods are awesome forms of feedback for me, so i really hope that i get to hear from you guys! c:
> 
> thanks for reading! as always, comments are appreciated!


	4. episode i part ii

**[ REC o ]**

The man in the confessional is blond and tan and sweaty as hell. Despite this, there's a large smile spread across his features and if it weren't for the perspiration drenching his muscular build, one wouldn't even guess that he was tired at all.

"Hey there! I'm not sure if the cameramen were able to catch my punishment from Levi, but I didn't see any while I was running, so I'm assuming that the footage of me out there is minimal. I'm Reiner though! I just got back from my run around the island!"

He sits on the stool, grinning at the camera like an idiot before allowing a laugh to ricochet throughout the air. "I barely got to interact with my group members and I honestly can't recall their names. That's probably not a good thing since I need to get people to see me as a good guy, so that's definitely something I need to work on. I'm already off to a rough start by pissing off that Levi guy—I don't want to make things harder on myself." He straightens his back and fidgets a little in excitement. "I'm excited to make friends. This is going to be great."

* * *

 **-—episode one: awkward introductions—-** _  
_" _I'm sorry that it had to end this way, Levi. You're a brave man."_

Erwin had dismissed the contestants to attend to their own affairs as the judges began their review of the various sites, though Petra had hinted that it would be a good time to try and strike an alliance or two with the others.

Annie kind of supposes that this is an opportunity that she should take advantage of. However, she doesn't really hold any particular interest in social interaction: everyone around her seems more annoying than anything else and she wants absolutely nothing to do with them.

But even she _does_ want a sense of privacy, it seems to be impossible to achieve since there are two socially awkward boys trailing behind her because it seems they have nowhere else to go.

"Freckles."

The greasy-haired boy looks up from the ground in surprise at the acknowledgement.

"Tall boy."

The other brunet turns his attention to her curiously.

"Why are you two following me?"

Both men turn to look at each other as they search for a response. The shorter one has gone back to fiddling his thumbs nervously, so, with a sigh, the taller one responds first. "My name's Bertholdt, not tall boy," he corrects. "In all honesty, I didn't realize that I was following you until you pointed it out. We were all asked to go back to the main house to socialize with the other contestants—and I'm not interested in that at all. So I'm just kind of walking away."

Annie pivots on her foot to scrutinize him appropriately. She isn't quite sure what she had been expecting him to say since he had been incredibly quiet when they were working together on the tent. She'd be lying if she said that she wasn't surprised by his decision to speak up to her so easily after his silent compliance with her earlier orders. Bertholdt towers over her, and despite the confidence of his tone, it's clear that he feels uncomfortable. He's lean with muscle and already burning from the summer heat and Annie quickly realizes that he can be of some use to her—competition-wise, at least.

She turns to look at the other boy. "And you?"

"I-I'm Marco," he manages, and the blonde finds it within herself to take some mild pity on him. "I don't really know anyone else. And I don't want to be left alone."

The response is a pathetic one and it does nothing to impress Annie. Unlike Bertholdt, Marco clearly doesn't possess the abilities to hide his own emotions or the physical advantage of height and muscle. He's a waste of time, Annie quickly deduces, but she immediately feels an odd sense of guilt at coming to such a conclusion so quickly. It's a bad display of emotion that's incredibly embarrassing and she desperately begins to rack her brain for a way to justify it.

"Annie, right?"

The calling of her name drags her out of her thoughts and she blinks up at the tallest boy, silently glad that she's grown enough to maintain her stoic expression.

"We're supposed to be using this time to form alliances. None of us want to interact with others, so I say that the three of us stick together," Bertholdt continues and Annie is actually appalled by his audacity.

She recovers rather quickly, however, and begins to contemplate the situation. Bertholdt was an immediate yes. Marco, not so much.

The shorter boy seems close to reading her thoughts and already looks like he's on the verge of tears and that's _really_ not helping Annie's decision to help him because even if she does feel _a little_ bad for him, he's still weak.

Bertholdt has been observing her intensely and carefully adds, "But it has to be all three of us, or none of us at all. I'll back out of this deal if you don't agree to take on Marco as well."

Annie's honestly not sure why Bertholdt has attached himself to the anxious boy beside him but it makes her uncomfortable. Here it is—the excuse that she had been looking for to allow herself an alliance with Marco—but she doesn't like the way that the opportunity has presented itself. She's starting to prefer Marco over Bertholdt.

"Okay. Deal."

The two participants of the transaction stare at one another thoughtfully: Bertholdt with relief, Annie with distrust.

Marco looks on between the two and he seem something that frightens him so he says nothing.

* * *

Eren and Connie return with a girl just as Armin's helping Krista up out of her sitting position.

"Guys, this is Mikasa. Connie and I saved her from a douchebag. She'll be hanging out with us for a while."

The two blonds blink in surprise at the randomness of the statement, each of them quietly regarding the newcomer to their quartet. She's slender and seems apprehensive about the situation that she's been dragged into but says nothing about it. There's a mumbled chorus of greetings before Armin says, "I'm not sure if you heard the announcement, but we're all supposed to be heading to the main house while the judges make their final decisions. It's probably the directors giving us all the opportunity to get to know one another better and form our respective alliances. Krista and I were just about to head over there." At the mention of her name, Krista allows her eyes to flicker towards Armin blankly.

"Alliances, huh?" Connie asks. "Well, we should make a pact to support one another—all five of us."

Krista frowns at this, turning once more to silently scrutinize Mikasa. It's not that she doesn't like the girl—she has no reason to, at the moment, so doing so would be silly—but she doesn't hold the same interest in her that Connie and Eren seem to (the latter more so than the former). "There are twelve of us on the island. Wouldn't an alliance of five be kind of unfair?"

Eren and Connie both look kind of affronted while Mikasa's taken to biting her lip in thought.

"This time around, the alliances would be focused on getting into the better accommodations, so we should each be able to form an alliance of six individuals max," Armin adds in. He'd honestly rather scout the rest of the contestants over at the main house instead of tying himself to this one group. Sure, he liked Connie and Eren, but it's clear that the two boys had committed themselves to a pact with Mikasa whom he wasn't sure would be beneficial to him.

The brunet is staring back at him in careful thought with a frown gradually becoming more and more prominent upon his features.

Even though Mikasa's interactions with others her age are generally sparse, she's perceptive enough to take a hint. "Let's go. We're supposed to meet everyone at the house, right? We don't want to be late. It would make a bad impression."

A few nods and words of affirmation circle throughout the gathered group but Eren turns to shoot a look of skepticism at the woman beside him.

* * *

**[ REC o ]**

"I'm not really sure what happened because it all happened so fast," she admits as soon as the camera in the confessional booth flickers on. Her almond eyes convey a sense of confusion and fatigue as she rakes her hand through her silken locks. "I really don't know how I feel about anything. Jean and Ymir are clearly prone to violence and the boy with the eyes—"

There's a whisper off-screen to supply her with a name.

"—Eren, I mean, is obviously prone to overreacting and that's not a good quality to have either," she sighs. "I'm sure that they have their good points too, but at the moment, they all seem to drag stress with them everywhere they go. I didn't expect this show to be easy, but I had thought that the people would be more amiable—though I suppose I don't have too much to go off of."

There's a pause until Mikasa draws her eyes upwards to stare directly in the camera. "Either way, know that I'm not going to let you tell me 'I told you so,' Levi. I'll deal."

It's silent again and her eyes flicker towards the doorway of the booth.

"We're supposed to be making alliances over in the main house. The optimal strategy would be to just make myself generally likable so that whoever wins won't see the harm in having me with them on the third floor if they haven't made enough bonds to have a list ready with them. It's better to be liked than disliked, after all." A pause. "I just have to figure out how to make myself likable, I guess."

As she continues to think about these words, her expression continues to darken more and more.

* * *

When it had been announced that all contestants were to make their way to the main house, Sasha felt like jumping for joy because a) she wouldn't have to return to her horribly silent group, b) twelve teenagers crammed in one room would _surely_ result in some decent conversation, and c) she was lost as hell and at least the Smith household was titanic enough to be spotted from all points on the island.

She wasn't really sure what she had been expecting when she had stumbled through the front door, but it was spectacular to say the least: the entrance opened up to the common room which included modern suede couches arranged in a semicircular arc around a glass coffee table and, across the seats, a large, curved television set. There's a transitional section from the entertainment area to the pool that includes a large bar equipped with various liquor and a set of three stools. From what she can see, the pool's large and equipped with a rock waterfall towards the right and, based on the faint bubbling she can hear, a jacuzzi that's cut out of her vision. To the left of the common room is a large kitchen that triggers her stomach to growl and she vaguely wonders what's inside the refrigerator.

However, she finds it within herself to resist the temptation and plops down onto the couch in the centermost position. She knocks her flip-flops off and doesn't care too much about the blackness of her soles or the grime stuck between her toes when she rests her feet on the tabletop.

The door opens and her eyes immediately dart towards the newcomers in genuine excitement until she sees who it is and feels herself stiffen. She forces herself to maintain the cheeky grin on her features as the two take seats as far away from one another as possible (and therefore incredibly far away from her as well—which is probably a good thing since she's terrified of them both). There's a mumbled grunt of greeting as the freckled woman mimics Sasha's position and promptly crosses her ankles over the table.

"You look kind of familiar," the boy starts and Sasha immediately pins him as a narrow-minded individual because _of course_ she should look familiar (they had run into each other earlier, after all) but clearly he can only focus on the things in his immediate attention radius. "My name's Jean Kirstein."

He's scooted a little closer to her and has leaned forward to offer a handshake. There's a strained smirk on his face that reminds Sasha that her priority should be making alliances with others instead of just trying to locate a conversational partner. So she allows her smile to stretch a little wider and removes her feet from the table so that she can scoot a little closer towards him as well. "Hi, I'm Sasha." His hand is warm and soft and if she had cared more about the impression she was making on this guy, she'd probably feel self-conscious about her sweaty palms ridden with calluses.

"Ymir," the woman on the other other side throws in. She doesn't make a movement to reach out for physical contact and when Sasha turns to acknowledge her, she finds that Ymir's eyes are still closed and her head is tilted up to the ceiling. Jean shoots her a look of distaste, but before he can come up with some kind of snarky retort, she adds, "Kirstein here's a little prick, Sasha. Just a fair warning from one ponytail-clad girl to another."

Sasha isn't really sure what to say to that and assumes that Jean will stand up and throw himself at Ymir in agitation. He surprises her, however, by crossing his arms and forcing a casual laugh. "Sasha can make her own judgments of me, Ymir."

There's a sound of vague amusement that escapes the other woman's throat and Sasha finds that she's smiling.

A blond man who reeks of sweat is the next to enter and he surveys the room for a moment in mild thought before throwing himself into the seat next to Ymir. The effect of his sudden weight causes her to momentarily bounce up into the air, making her eyes widen in confused surprise before she turns her glare to the newcomer.

Sasha and Jean both wince on his behalf.

The man seems completely oblivious to this, however, and even goes so far as to merrily throw an arm around the smaller individual beside him. "Hey, everyone! The name's Reiner!"

It's silent, save for the hissing escaping Ymir's mouth that's gradually getting louder and louder.

If Jean had wanted to make the situation even worse, he probably would've poked fun at Ymir about the time she told him that the Reiner guy was more useful than he was. Fortunately, the door opens once more before he really has the opportunity to weigh his options: two blonds, the bald kid from earlier, the fucking brunet with an explosive personality, and a little while behind them, Mikasa.

Sasha instantly recognizes the guy that had laughed at her joke earlier and waves him towards her with a large smile. He grins back and looks at Jean sitting beside her hesitantly, but allows himself to sit on her other side. They launch into an easy conversation and that makes Jean a little nervous because he _does_ recognize Connie but he's pretty sure that they're not on the best of terms and he _really_ needs this redhead on his side or else he'll be absolutely empty when it comes to alliances.

Armin and Krista move to sit in the space that Jean had once occupied that now exists a sizable distance away from the others. Their almost identical blue eyes don't really regard one another and instead, all of their focus is set on the others gathered. Eren is glaring at Jean, who's not really paying attention, but decides to take a seat next to Reiner who seems friendly enough despite Ymir's angry shoves at his torso. He gestures for Mikasa to take a seat with him, but she doesn't make a move in order to do so.

Her top choice would've been to take a seat next to the redheaded girl that she had run into earlier because although they didn't really strike up a conversation earlier, at least she's not _entirely_ unfamiliar. Unfortunately for her, all the seats around Sasha are taken and Eren would probably consider it too close to Jean and another fight would occur. Ymir would be her next choice, but she's not too sure what that'll make Jean think and she _really_ doesn't want to make anyone angry and she can't help but wonder how the hell she got herself into this sort of situation after only a few hours on the island. The only other option would be to sit by Krista and Armin, but the two of them have formed a strange bond that she doesn't entirely understand and she's almost completely positive that neither of them would be happy if she invaded their exclusive group.

She's stuck.

But then something inside her clicks and she counts heads: one, two…. eight. Including her, nine. There are twelve contestants total though which means that there are three others that aren't present. And there it is, her saving grace.

She debates for a split second whether or not she should make some sort of excuse but ultimately decides _oh well, fuck it._

Mikasa leaves the room and only Eren and Jean really take true notice of it. Armin and Krista take silent note of her action and Ymir notices it as a subject of interest in the corner of her eye, but she's too busy threatening the mass of muscle next to her to bother doing anything about it.

Jean and Eren both lock eyes when the door clicks shut but neither of them move. They both feel this weird urge to get up and talk to the other, but the feeling is small, far away from their conscious, and disgusting in its entirety. It's not long before Eren gets dragged into conversation with Reiner and Ymir (though the latter is only present begrudgingly) and Sasha is courteous enough to tell her next corny joke to Jean though, and the feeling is quickly forgotten—if it were even acknowledged in the first place.

* * *

Historia isn't quite sure how to interpret the way Armin so nonchalantly sits beside her as though they're friends—in all honesty, they've barely even held an actual conversation between just the two of them. So as she observes him observing the others through the corner of her eye, a part of her wants to force him away while another wants to ask him about who he really is.

"It's been ten minutes and three other contestants still haven't shown up," he remarks, and Historia's not sure if it's supposed to be to himself or to her. "I wonder where they could be. They could be important."

She decides to simply hum in response, feigning vague interest in the obvious fact. "Still trying to create the most optimal alliances for yourself, huh?"

"Of course. I can only distribute my loyalties to so many people. Why would I waste my time on someone that has no purpose to me?"

A sound almost like a snort escapes his female companion as she turns her head now to face him directly. "Never pinned you as the type to be such a prick."

"Never pinned you as the type to care."

Historia chuckles at that and allows herself to recline further into the comfort of the sofa as opposed to Armin's more rigid position beside her. "I care about more things than you know, I'll tell you that. And we both know that you're not actually the asshole I just accused you of being. You were supposed to defend yourself."

"Well, I didn't."

"And why's that?"

This time it's Armin who turns to look at her, finally shifting his gaze to meet hers. Deep blue eyes stare intently into one another, daring the other to make the first step forward in regards to risking a possible relationship, but neither seem all too willing to provide the spark. In his peripheral vision, Armin can still make out the fully stocked bar and he vaguely wonders if putting some alcohol in his companion's system would get her to talk, but in his current situation, such a ploy would be easily discovered. Lying wouldn't do him so well either, he rationalizes, since Krista's clearly intelligent enough to see through something so halfheartedly fabricated and he's never been that good at being dishonest. So he allows himself to answer her with a simple, "I didn't see the point. You can call me whatever you want to call me."

"You care about what I call you though," she reasons. "You don't seem like the type to take insults so casually."

"I'm not," he agrees.

Historia's eyes narrow at his easy response and her distaste for him only intensifies. The conversation's running in circles because Armin's refusing to give her actual answers to anything and it bothers her because she's always considered herself decent when it came to mind games, but this guy seems to be better—he isn't cracking. Armin seems to take note of this as he allows himself a short bark of laughter.

She breaks her gaze to huff, "Okay, you win, I'll agree to work with you. Who else do you want?"

"Eren. And the other blue-eyed girl that's not here right now. At the moment, no one else catches my interest."

The direct nature of his response again catches her offguard. She's not really sure what she should expect when she slowly asks, "And why the three of us?"

When Armin tenses beside her, Historia has to fight the impish smirk that longs to reveal itself on her features. The blond seems to be genuinely uncomfortable with the question and he's finally allowing some of this discomfort to shine through in his awkward demeanor and Historia's torn between laughing at him and feeling some vague sense of guilt.

"We all have nice eyes."

She blinks.

"What?"

"Nice eyes," he repeats, pulling at the skin below one of his own bright-blues while furrowing his brows at her as though she's being too loud because the cryptic message is somehow important to him. But they've only been on the island for a few hours now and their arrival was meant to symbolize a new start for all of them. So what could possibly be so important—

Oh.

_Blue, blue, blue, blue._

Armin allows himself to revel in the understanding that lights itself within Krista's eyes and when no staff member marches in declaring that he needs to be sent home, the feeling only intensifies. There's no denying that Historia's impressed by the execution of his admission and this fact only makes her squirm in her chair. Armin's lit the spark that they've both been waiting for with his comment and so it's only right that she takes the opportunity with open hands.

" _A color stands abroad on solitary hills that science cannot overtake, but human nature feels._ "

The boy beside her smiles at this and mimics her position as he leans backwards and folds his arms behind his head. "Dickenson's 'A light exists in spring.' Nice."

Historia allows herself an honest simper because Armin may be a pain in the ass, but at least they shared enough of an unspoken mutual understanding to keep their conversations interesting. She's glad that the assurance of her message has been relayed, and then Armin asks, "Anyone that you've taken a particular interest in yet? We can add them to the alliance. I don't care."

She can't help but laugh as she asks, "Are we going to keep talking through poetry?"

"Why not," he responds in amusement, "Riddles can be fun."

" _Roses are red, violets are blue. Armin's pretentious, but hey, I am too._ "

The two burst into honest laughter and Armin even offers her a light shove in mild defense of his character. "I'm taking that as a no then?"

A smirk is still dancing on her features as she says, "I'm not as desperate as you are, Armin. My secrets are still mine alone."

He makes some offhand, pompous retort, but Historia is too focused on the manipulative gleam in his eyes and the reflection of her own small frame within them to really catch what it is that he's saying.

* * *

Mikasa's not that good at talking to people and she finds introductions to be awkward as hell, but she was able to find the other three contestants rather easily and has been stalking them from about fifteen feet away which probably makes her super creepy. A part of her just wants to call out and say something but the three have been walking in silence for ten minutes now and Mikasa's only now beginning to realize that the longer she remains silent, the more awkward her introduction will be.

Despite Mikasa's care in regards to footing and overall noise production, it doesn't change the fact that Annie knows she's being followed—though Bertholdt and Marco still remain oblivious.

Her body's responded in its typical over-the-top fashion: tense shoulders, sweat pooling at her temple, heart thundering loudly within her chest, but it all infuriates her because _goddammit_ , this was a stupid teenage reality television show that her father signed her up for, there was no reason for her to be so nervous. The security is tight on the island; she had made sure to inquire about it to no end before they had began building their tent as a group. She's safe. She shouldn't have to worry. Worrying would be silly. She's Annie Leonhardt, she shouldn't _have_ to worry, she was just being silly again, yes, that's it, she had to calm down. Someone was probably lost and roaming around aimlessly, that was highly probable. She'll be alright. She's _safe_ —

Annie pivots on her heel, alarming her two brunet companions as she glares at the foliage around her. She catches a vague glimpse of the characteristic neon orange shirts of the show before it disappears and she has to at least give props to whoever it is that's been trailing her for finding a way to camouflage themselves within the evergreen scenery around them. "Cut the bullshit, I know you've been following us. Come out."

Marco, who had finally looked like he had found some kind of comfort after all the hours of being on the island, has gone back to looking like a nervous wreck and Bertholdt simply finds it in himself to look confused. "What are you talking about, Annie?"

She glares at him, focusing on the nervous sensation in her stomach instead of the man before her because her gut feeling is never wrong. "Look, whoever's out there, I don't really give a fuck. I'd rather have a discussion face-to-face instead of being trailed. Come out."

Mikasa really doesn't have any other options, so with an apprehensive sigh, she comes out from behind her shelter, raking a hand through her dirty locks. "Okay, sorry. Hi. I'm Mikasa."

There's a grunt and a nod from the other woman. "Why have you been following us, Mikasa?"

"Well," the brunette starts before she realizes that she's not exactly sure how to explain anything the proper way. It's clear that the men before her have no real weight within the conversation and the blonde girl isn't interested in any sort of theatrics, so she supposes that her best bet is to just be straightforward. "I needed to find people to form an alliance with, and after stopping at the main house where everyone else is, I realized that forming an alliance with any of them wouldn't be beneficial to me at all. So I left to find you three."

Icy blue eyes stare back blankly until she finally says, "Okay. Welcome to the team. I'm Annie."

Bertholdt and Marco know better than to react, though the former is better at hiding his surprise than the latter. Mikasa, however, is shocked by how easy that conversation had ended up being. "Just like that?"

"Sure, why not," Annie responds with a passive shrug. "You're stealthy and I think you have the potential to be of some use to me. Not sure how we can help you but that's your problem and not mine. There's no need to overcomplicate things by talking about it. It is what it is."

She's blunt and straightforward and doesn't care if she comes off as rude. Annie immediately reminds Mikasa of Levi. And hey, Mikasa can deal with Levi, so she can probably deal with Annie as well.

Things don't seem so bad anymore.

"Cool," she responds, and she's not sure when the two of them have closed the distance between themselves to stand beside one another, but she doesn't remark on it.

Annie gives her another once-over before allowing a slight smirk to appear upon her features. "The rest of the contestants are that awful?"

"I wouldn't say _awful._ I just know that I sure as hell don't want to be stuck there. I thought that I was going to suffocate."

Bertholdt laughs at that, patting her shoulder in camaraderie without even realizing that he's doing it and Annie's expression of amusement has intensified.

"Join the club."

* * *

The results of the competition aren't shocking in the least. Levi, however, is fucking done because what the _hell_ , these kids were lazyass motherfuckers who didn't even _try_ to put effort into anything. For some reason (he wasn't sure why), he had felt the vague sensation of hope prickling at the back of his neck as he lay on the deck of one of the docked boats.

But that was earlier. Reality's made itself known to him once more.

One group's site (his own cousin's group, nonetheless), looks as though a drunk Hange had rampaged through the area and decided to pass out on _top_ of the tent instead of within it. Perhaps it had looked _decent_ at some point, but now, it had folded in on itself in a haphazard manner (definitely not his aesthetic) and Jesus Christ, if he actually had to _live_ in that—

Erwin, Petra, and Hange each give the tent a two on the five point scale.

Levi makes sure to give it a negative six and ignores the various expressions of disapproval from his fellow judges with relative ease.

The next group, one with two awkward brunets, a stoic blonde, and a redheaded girl with a smile so fake that it almost made Levi puke, at least created something that was respectable. The tent stands tall and poised in its position, fabric pulled taut over the framework to provide a sense of perfection. A hastily drawn smiley face is drawn in front of the tent and it doesn't take much thought to figure out who had decided to throw it in last minute.

It isn't a bad tent, per say, it was just _boring_.

Three. Four. Three. Two.

The final tent had been put up with ease (though not with the same level of perfection as the other group) and has strung seashells on a line to act as a makeshift archway a foot or two before the entrance. Strategically placed leaves and plucked tropical flowers offer a thematic aura that's unique enough in comparison to the rest of the tents. It looks habitable.

Still, even though it was declared the winner, it really is _not_ that impressive and Levi is still _not_ excited to have to live there for the rest of summer. (Because he _will_ be one of the three individuals living in this tent. He'll even entertain the thought of _asking_ Erwin for it instead of just glaring at him until he gets what he wants. And that _really_ says something.)

"Well," Petra starts, "I guess we know who the winner is."

"It's really no contest," Erwin throws in. "You know, I had kind of expected them to be more creative. We should throw in a creativity component when we're looking for contestants next time, Hange."

The individual beside Erwin hums in agreement, pulling a notepad and a pencil out of God-knows-where to record the thought.

Levi allows an annoyed "hngh" to release itself out into the open air.

From their position, they can see all three of the campsites. The four judges are soon joined by the five other key members of the production crew to stare at the tattered clump of metal and fabric that had been crushed underneath God-knows-what—the first site they had stumbled upon. Three of them would have to sleep in it.

Three of them would not survive the summer.

There's a pause as they all silently contemplate the best way to approach the matter until Hange shrieks, "Nose goes!"

Hands quickly dart up to touch the tips of their own respective noses and Levi's left blinking in innocent confusion because wait, what the _fuck_ just happened.

Erwin settles a firm, reassuring hand on the brunet's shoulder. "I'm sorry that it had to end this way, Levi. You're a brave man."

When his fate finally dawns upon him, Levi doesn't even have the strength to argue—that had been lost when he put all his hope into a bunch of goddamn teenagers to build him an appropriate shelter for the season. So instead, he allows himself to fall onto his knees and dramatically flip his head upwards to stare at the blue sky above.

"God, what the fuck did my parents do to make you hate me so much?"

"Don't say that! Hey, Levi, I'll stay with you in the tent!"

The brunet turns his glare to bore into the eyes of his blond best friend, about ready to snap at him to stay the hell away because his big frame was sure to take up all the space. Unfortunately, Levi's interrupted before he gets the chance.

"Oh, don't worry, look, I'll volunteer to stay with you too!" Hange smiles in what they assume is supposed to be a reassuring way.

Levi takes one accidental whiff of the figure before having to resist the urge to puke.

"I fucking hate my life."

* * *

A final announcement is sounded throughout the entirety of the island to remind contestants that they should all be heading to the island's main house if they haven't already since the judges have made their decision.

Marco's not sure how it happened, but somehow Mikasa and Annie have both totally hit it off and he's pretty sure that they've declared themselves to be in a mutual dictatorship over the entire alliance—he's just not sure if they were being sarcastic or joking or what. He's honestly not too sure what's going on at all, but Berholdt's nice—he likes Bertholdt—and so he'll just have to content himself with doing whatever Bertholdt does.

The entrance to the house is already in view as the quartet continues their onward pace, Mikasa and Annie leading the troupe side-by-side while throwing insults back and forth at one another. They're not even really throwing them at _each other_ , it's more like Annie complains about one thing and then Mikasa agrees, then Mikasa throws in some profanity into whatever it is that she's saying and Annie grunts in amusement.

It's a weird start to a friendship, Marco thinks, but he's really not one to judge and he figures that no one would really listen to him anyway.

All eyes focus on them when they enter the room, a chorus of a badly accented "Howdy!" resonating from the center of the room. Sasha and Connie are giggling over their dumbness and Jean has this smile on his face but it's difficult to discern whether it's a strained smile or just a constipated one. It could probably go either way.

There's an empty space between the aforementioned trio and a separate blond duo, so the four file into position to fill the void. Armin and Krista's gazes linger a little longer than they should, but they're both careful enough to know their uppermost limit.

Eren, however, is not, and his bright eyes are narrowed into something like a crossover between a glare and dejection. Mikasa's still in deep conversation with Annie, and if she notices, she doesn't make it obvious.

It's not long before Levi, Erwin, and Petra stride in: Levi's looking pissed as hell, Erwin is humming a merry tune off-key, and Petra has that trademark grin on her face. They stop in front of the gathered teenagers and the room is immediately wrapped in silence.

Erwin speaks up first from his position between the two hosts. "We have the results of the first contest! I wish that I could say something nice like, 'You all did wonderfully,' but that would be a total lie."

Most people in the room know what it is that he's referring to and they at least have the decency to shoot him an apologetic grin—save for Ymir and Jean, of course, who only shoot each other pointed glares.

"Congratulations to Armin, Eren, Krista, and Connie! You guys are the winners and will be receiving a special perk during the next island event," Petra cheers, clapping in excitement.

"As for the rest of you: you're all fucking disappointments," says Levi, not being able to restrain himself from chiming in with some sarcastic humor.

Whatever expression of disappointment that had lingered on Eren's features earlier is instantaneously wiped off as he and Connie jump up in a sloppy hurrah. They wrap their arms around one another in a friendly hug, still whooping and hollering, before turning to look at Armin and Krista. The two blonds on the other side of the room have a calmer reaction to the news, though it's obvious that they're still thankful as well. It isn't long before Connie and Eren close the distance between them and pull them into a team embrace. Armin throws his head back to join in their merry laughter while Krista allows an expression of amusement to grace her features.

The others in the room aren't really sure how to react to the news and, for the most part, their expressions remain stoic and nonchalant. A hint of annoyance is evident on Jean's features but it seems that he knows better than to truly react to the news. He supposes that he shouldn't be all too surprised anyway: his team really didn't stand a fighting chance against anyone.

"We're also ready to reveal the results of the audience survey to announce who the fan favorite of the week is," Petra chirrups, the merry mood of the quartet easily rubbing off onto her.

Levi grunts from the base of his throat, clearly still upset with his sleeping arrangements for the next month. He's already started plotting an attempt to worm his way into a different tent but he's not too sure how successful he'll be since Erwin's convinced that this is just going to be a giant month-long sleepover with two of his closest friends and it's practically impossible to talk the blond out of an idea once he's hellbent on making it a success.

The situation is bleak at best.

"I hope that you've figured out who you like and who you don't. Remember: six individuals per floor. Try to refrain from killing each other if you don't get placed where you want to be."

Nods echo throughout the room and Armin makes a faint sound of displeasure that is difficult to notice because he had spent all of his time talking to Krista and didn't get the opportunity to solidify his stance with Eren or speak to the blue-eyed newcomer. He's being sloppy and he's not entirely sure how he feels about that. Krista thinks that she hears something from the figure beside her and spares him a halfhearted glance, only vaguely interested in whatever dilemma is running through his mind.

Jean is feeling considerably antsy and he thinks that he's about to burst. Noticing his nervousness, Sasha allows herself to give him a reassuring pat on his thigh. She finds that he isn't all too bad once you ignore his temper tantrums and apparent pushiness when it comes to women. It's fair to say that she's not interested in getting _too_ close to the attractive man beside her, but it's difficult for her to not feel pity when the poor kid is practically shaking. The tawny-eyed boy is surprised by her sudden action but finds it a little calming.

Petra breaks the seal on the envelope in her hands. Her eyes scan the paper for the name and she turns to look at both Erwin and Levi to gauge their reactions. The former is just as excited as she is while the latter seems generally uncaring. She turns to face the quartet. "Things seem to go very well for you."

All attention shifts to the four and within the small group, there's a bubbling sensation of pleasant surprise.

"Congratulations, Eren!"

He erupts into a loud whoop that's quickly echoed by those around individuals left on the sofa say nothing but there are a number of wary stares being shot his way. Sasha hopes that Connie'll put in a good word for her and Reiner's a little confused as to what's going on because, in all honesty, he's kind of been confused the entire day. Ymir doesn't really care where she has to stay the summer—she's never been the squeamish type—and across the room, Annie shares the same sentiments. Bertholdt kind of regrets not wandering over to meet the rest of the other contestants sooner but figures that he'll just have to live with his decision and Marco isn't too surprised either.

Mikasa isn't really sure how to react so she hastily shifts her attention elsewhere and ends up locking eyes with Jean who looks more curious at her discomfort than anything else.

"So, Eren, who'll it be?" Erwin asks. "You can pick five others to stay on the third floor with you and, for the most part, this decision will be set in stone."

The brunet nods, slowly coming down from his high of emotions. He regards the room carefully, locking gazes with each individual in the room.

His eyes stop on Mikasa who's turned to looking at the empty glass table at the center of the room.

* * *

**[ REC o ]**

"In all honesty, I have a lot of options. I'm the guy in power, which is kind of funny. Like, who would've thought?" The boy says as he reclines back on the stool, causing it to lean precariously on only two of its legs instead of four. He had pulled the neon orange t-shirt over his head sometime after they had recommended for everyone to enter the main house and it covers the bad tanlines he's already received after his first day on the island. "The only guy I know for sure that I want up there with me is Connie—he's already proven that he's going to be a real bro."

His eyes have yet to meet the direct gaze of the camera and are instead focused on something in the opposite upper corner of the room. "Let's see… Armin and Krista both seem like promising choices as well. I like them. But I don't know if they like me and I don't know how I feel about that.

There's that Sasha girl that Connie was talking to, and I'm pretty sure that I spotted her earlier today when I was breaking up Ymir and Jean's fight. She said a dumb joke, I think. Don't have anything against her really—I don't think I have anything against anyone except Jean but he's an asshole so that's a given—but when we walked in, she was already talking to that prick. So are they, like, a thing or whatever? It wouldn't be good for me if she's being influenced by him. I probably shouldn't care though, it's not like that guy can do anything to me anyway.

Ymir seems alright. She kind of seems like the type to do whatever she wants and that's not necessarily a bad thing. That Reiner kid's funny. I like him.

Then there are those three that I haven't talked to yet—" Eren's cut off as the individual behind the camera supplies him with the required names. He looks a little bit surprised by the interaction but quickly covers up the shock with a kind grin and a genuine word of thanks. "Annie, Marco, and Bertholdt. I don't know anything about them but I'm going to go ahead and assume that the three of them will be working together since they've only interacted with one another and came in together.

And then there's Mikasa."

His expression darkens and there's a tinge of annoyance evident in his features. "She came in with those three as well. Guess she's working with them now. Whatever. She can do what she wants. I don't care."

The sudden silence in the room is broken by the thumping of the stool as the two legs that had been stuck in midair reunite with the ground. It's only then that Eren allows the bright golden aquamarine of his eyes to meet with those of the camera as he shoots a smile that echoes the one he had first been introduced with.

"Guess I'm just going to pull my choices out of my ass—nothing new, I suppose."

* * *

When the names tumble out of Eren's mouth, all of the contestants are more than shocked. Connie's even left wondering if his brunet friend had tripped and fallen on his way back from the confessional because he's pretty sure that he _had_ to have forgotten the names of some people. That's all that makes sense.

Armin's honestly wondering what the hell's going through Eren's head as well because his final decision doesn't really reflect what he had assumed the boy had originally been planning. The blue of his eyes immediately meet those of the shorter girl beside him and he vaguely wonders what her thoughts on the manner are but knows that it's not in his best interest to ask her right now.

Jean's got this expression on his face that's a cross between disgust and utter appallment and it's distracting enough to make Sasha ignore all of her thoughts in order to point and laugh at the man beside her. Ymir's laughing as well and Reiner joins in, loud and booming.

Annie's original trio isn't too surprised and Mikasa knows that she shouldn't be either, but for some reason, she had kind of been expecting that Eren would pick her.

"Say that again, Jaeger," Ymir calls from her seat. "I want to see if Kirstein's expression can get any worse."

Eren laughs at this from his position beside Petra, shooting her an amused smirk. "Connie, Reiner, Armin, Ymir, and Jean."

Jean turns another shade of bright red and Ymir's laughter only intensifies.

Whatever cool Jean had kept earlier is completely gone and he stands up in agitation. Sasha probably would have been at least somewhat alarmed by the sudden action, but she's too busy throwing her head back in excited amusement. The only sound of acknowledgement is a mild squeak before Jean screeches, "What the hell, man?"

Eren strides over and throws an arm around the taller boy's shoulders. "I fucking hate you too, you ungrateful shit cluster." A genuine grin that consumes all of his features still shines brightly on his face as he adds, "So don't get your panties in a twist and just let me be nice to you for once because I can fucking promise that it'll never happen again."

The man beside him visibly cringes at the words, expression evolving from one of of distaste to one of frustration as he shrugs the hand off of him. "Being in close proximity with you makes me want to vomit."

"Likewise."

"I think that I hate you as much as I love Cheetos."

"Can't argue with that one."

"You are _literally_ the raisin in the trail mix of society."

"Wow, haven't heard that one before."

Jean's visibly seething now and he looks as though he's about to punch Eren square in the jaw until something suddenly dawns on him. " _Keep your friends close and your enemies closer_."

The shit-eating smirk on Eren's features widens. "Looks like there's a brain in that thick skull of yours after all."

Petra turns to Erwin with concern written all over her features. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Before the blond can respond, Levi perks up from his position, interest lighting up his eyes. "No, probably not, but it's going to keep things fucking interesting— _that's_ for sure."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that chapter was a lot longer than i had thought it would be, jfc. i genuinely apologize for the lateness of this chapter—between college/scholarship applications and social drama, i've kind of been all over this place. i'm sorry if this chapter seems a little dragging ;333;
> 
> so what do you all think of the current events? alliances have been formed, floormates have been decided, and levi's going to be miserable. i'm super excited to hear everyone's thoughts on eren's decision at the end of the chapter. i really wanted to put bertholdt on the third floor as well, but then the numbers would be all mixed up and i didn't want eren to look sexist if there were zero girls on the third floor with him lololol
> 
> anywho, the new poll for the new chapter is up [ https://www.fanfiction.net/~eleutheromaniac ]. last week's results had eren in first place, mikasa and ymir tied for second, and armin and historia tied for third. all of the votes have been super close, so i'm excited to see what'll happen this time around!
> 
> not sure when i'll be able to update again (ahhh), but feel free to hit me up over at my tumblr (erwintho) anytime—this includes to remind me that i'm taking forever to write and need to get on that asap. c;
> 
> i'm hoping to finish this story by the time summer rolls around because i have this super awesome idea for a pirate au, but i'm worried that if i juggle two multi-chaptered fics at the same time, nothing will get done lololol
> 
> as always, feedback is always appreciated! i'll never stop looking for things that i can improve on. c;
> 
> thanks for reading!


	5. episode ii, part i

**[ REC o ]**

It's not that Ymir feels uncomfortable in her room on the upper floor because she's the only girl. God, no.

It's more like Ymir feels uncomfortable in her room on the upper floor due to her general lack of male genitalia.

The tall brunette glares at the camera with arms crossed over her chest in annoyance as she straightens up on the chair of the confessional booth. "I'm dead serious: one night, they all—yeah, even _Jean_ —disappeared into Springer's room and I'm _pretty sure_ they were comparing dick sizes." An expression of pure disgust illuminates her features as she shakes her head, "I don't mind being surrounded by only guys. I'm just pretty sure they're all secretly gay for Eren—don't even get me started on that sexual tension between Jaeger and Kirstein—and I'm kind of left out? I mean, I don't swing that way, but they don't know that, so I just figured I'd get _some_ attention."

She pauses in mortification. "N-Not that that's what I want. It's just that the only guy who gives me the time of day up here is Braun and that's…."

Ymir cringes before turning her attention directly to the camera and _almost_ looks pleading. " _Please_ keep me away from that guy, Jesus Christ."

* * *

**-—episode two: all the doo dah day—-**

"— _But, like, do you_ see _that hot bod? Man, if Armin looked at_ me _that way, I don't think I'd be able to hold myself back!_ "

"Hey, watch it," Annie starts, eyes already shooting daggers at the troublesome redhead that she simply can't seem to get rid of. She hadn't really expected herself to get a spot on the top floor of the estate, but she had also allowed herself to forget about the annoyance that the other girl proved to be.

Not shocking in the slightest is the fact that Sasha is stuck trying to make the best of her horrid situation and all of her fellow roommates aren't sure whether or not her smile is forced or genuine. She had recently called the room at the very end of the hall—claiming that it was the shabbiest but insisting that she was willing to take the fall so her newfound "friends" wouldn't have to—and is now causing a ruckus as she attempts to move her seemingly infinite number of bags to her room.

Bertholdt sighs as he observes the spectacle silently, knowing that it wouldn't be long until Annie truly snapped in agitation, while Marco stands beside him absentmindedly picking at his nails.

Sitting precariously on the edge of the floor's only window, Krista stares at the scene before her in thought. Mikasa stands a few feet away, looking as though she wants to approach but lacks the guts to do so.

"Sorry, sorry," Sasha responds, clearly not apologetic at all. She's snagged some extra pillows from "a supply closet she found" and is barely able to carry them while she attempts to roll her suitcase past the others.

"Do you need help?" Bertholdt offers, eyes again sliding over to observe Annie.

The blonde seems to have had enough of the scene and slyly extends her leg, causing the redhead to trip before she can even respond. With a loud squeak, Sasha crashes to the floor in utter confusion. She looks around the room, dazed, to find that it is only Bertholdt who is able to meet her eye.

Annie smirks, mildly amused by the scene before flippantly stating, "This is boring. I'll be in my room. Don't bother me."

A door slams shut and, realizing what's happened, Sasha begins to tear up. Now feeling alone in the hall after losing the presence of the only person she could probably call comrade, Mikasa begins to debate whether or not she should follow Annie's example and scurry into isolation or continue trying to socialize (and fail). Bertholdt looks guilty as he stares at the fallen girl, unable to find words, while there's an odd spark that's been lit in Krista's eyes that makes Mikasa feel all the more uncomfortable.

It's eventually Marco that makes the first move as he extends a hand to the redhead, alarming the perplexed girl as he forces a convincing smile. "I'm sorry about Annie—I know that she hasn't been the kindest to you. I don't think she's all that bad though, I'm almost sure of it. Come on, I'll help you with your stuff. It was so nice of you to agree to take the room in the worst shape!"

Sasha still appears incredibly shocked as she stares up at the freckled individual. There's a pause until she raises a grin of her own and takes his hand. As she dusts herself off, Bertholdt joins Marco in helping to pick things up from the floor, mumbling some sort of incomprehensible apology as he does so.

It's only Mikasa and Krista that have yet to move, and it's mostly because the former has found herself paralyzed by the slow smile that's becoming apparent on the blonde's features and the ever-mysterious spark that flickers black within her blue eyes.

* * *

"There ya are, Ymir!" Reiner booms as he throws an arm around the newly arrived individual, completely oblivious of the way she suddenly tenses within his embrace. "Where have you been?"

Gritting her teeth, the woman fights the growing urge to sock him in the eye. "I was filming in the confession booth. Don't get your panties in a twist."

He throws back his head in thunderous laughter and Ymir wants to bang her's against the nearest wall.

Hearing the commotion, Connie emerges from his bedroom clad in only a bath towel wrapped around his waist. "Oh, it's just you two. Say, do you know where my pillows went? I hopped into the shower and as soon as I came out, they were missing…"

When Ymir shrugs (succeeding in getting Reiner's arm off her shoulders) and the blond only frowns in confusion, Connie allows a defeated sigh. "Oh well. Hey, Ymir, we missed you last night at the get-together in my room. Why didn't you show up?"

She parts her lips with a snarl, biting retort at the ready, but after her eyes drift to two emerging figures behind the short, bald man, she finds herself absolutely speechless.

"Ugh, Jaeger, you took all of the fucking hot water!"

"Jean, it's your fault for not showering in your own bathroom!"

"Like you're one to talk! You used Connie's too!"

"So? I told you that if it was that big of a deal you could just get in with me, but you threw such a hissy fit!"

The slightly taller man immediately turns red at the words while his new roommate (if they could even be called that) hides his look of amusement by turning the other way. "W-We can't _shower_ together! I don't want to see your dick!"

"Only because it'll make you feel embarrassed about your own," Eren singsongs as he begins to approach the group gathered outside of Connie's door. "Oh, morning, guys. Ymir, we missed you last night!"

Jean, clearly not wanting to be outdone by his newfound rival, stomps forward as well with a lame, "Yeah, well, I bet that I take better care of my pubes than you do!"

Eren looks at him with mixed confusion and repulsion while Ymir doesn't even bother to hide her annoyance as a vein visibly begins to pulse within her forehead. She throws her hands up in pure agitation muttering something about vaginas as she slams the door to her room shut.

Reiner lets out a low whistle. "Wow, what's her problem?"

It's silent as the four men attempt to ponder this question—to ultimately no avail. "Oh well," Connie answers plainly with a shrug. "Maybe she's just shy or something. She'll warm up to us eventually."

"Yeah, if she doesn't castrate us all when we're sleeping," Jean mutters under his breath.

It is in that exact moment that Ymir realizes just how thin the walls of their bedrooms are. She's thankful too, because Kirstein's just given her a _lovely_ idea.

* * *

After another hour or so, the twelve teengers are lured to the second floor by the smell of golden waffles, freshly squeezed orange juice, and burnt bacon.

Levi is _incredibly_ unapologetic about burning the bacon because the stupid brats deserve it since they can't build a freaking tent to save their lives (apparently) and Hange and Erwin don't know how to share space. That being said, he's gotten absolutely no sleep whatsoever and is fully prepared to pass out in his younger cousin's room—he'll even clean the damn thing himself if that's what it'll take.

"Good morning, everyone," Petra chirrups. She's clad in a white sundress adorned with yellow flowers and a simple apron tied around her waist. Krista looks at her and vaguely wonders how she managed to look so perfect when it was only nine in the morning and they probably didn't even have proper make-up artists to fix her up. She then proceeds to look down at her cotton shorts and old tank top, absentmindedly feels the knotted gold tied into a haphazard bun on the top of her head, and feels instantaneous embarrassment for not keeping up her appearance. "I hope that you all slept well!"

Krista hides her agitation by closing her eyes with a faint sigh. Easily spotting her, Armin shoots Connie a parting smile before jogging over to her side. "Someone doesn't look too hot. Couldn't handle the awful living conditions last night?"

Angry blue eyes dart open as she scowls at her new "friend" (though, in all honesty, she wasn't sure what exactly it was that they were—after all, in order to be friends with someone, you have to _trust_ them, right?). The young woman is slowly coming to the conclusion that everyone was able to look drop dead gorgeous first thing in the morning except for her. His hair is pulled back into a stub-like bun atop his head (she's silently fuming at the fact that his bun is nicer than her's) and he's wearing a blue and gray striped sweater, along with a pair of torn jean cutoffs. His eyes are hidden behind a pair of simple black aviators, but Krista can tell from his lips alone that his eyes are sparkling with mischievousness and instantly knows that she's in for a storm.

"Nine in the morning and you're already a total dick," she spits angrily. "You're even dressed for the part now, so wow, kudos to you."

"Someone's definitely not a morning person," he chuckles, easily brushing past her to grab for a plate and continue his way to the breakfast buffet. "Let's talk by the bar outside or something."

Pink lips part to angrily state that if whatever _this_ is between them was going to work, he'd have to treat her like an equal instead of someone he could boss around—but he's gone before she has the chance, which only makes her angrier.

To be fair though, she _usually_ doesn't have to be functional until around one in the afternoon unless her father has something scheduled for her during the day. As that typically isn't the case, Krista's used to living a leisurely life and what she's experiencing now is anything _but_ leisurely.

If she has to wake up at eight every morning for the next two months, she is _definitely_ going to kill somebody.

"You alright, Kris?" comes a familiar tenor, and the young woman easily slides her glare over in order to meet his smile. "Sorry I couldn't bring you on the third floor with the rest of us, but you understand, don't you?"

Frankly Krista's too tired to understand shit.

Seeing her expression, Eren throws his head back with a light laugh before taking the snapback off from the top of his head and placing it atop her blonde disarray of hair. He throws an arm around her shoulders as he carts her towards the buffet, "C'mon, eat up! We have a big day ahead of us, I think! And even if we don't, just being able to explore the island will be a lot of fun—it's just so beautiful!"

Krista has to force herself to stop glaring at Eren's designer tank top and boardshorts and settles instead for glaring at the charred bacon that's set out before her. She's so focused on glaring that she doesn't realize how much of the atrocity the taller boy has shoveled onto her plate until it's too late.

Behind the pair Mikasa is worriedly glancing at the apparel of essentially _everyone_ who had the pleasure of staying on the third floor, realizing that they're all dressed like models while most of her lot had yet to even _shower_. Catching her stares, Annie responds with a simple, "I think that the staff and hired help moved in most of their stuff for them, so they had a lot more free time than we did this morning."

 _Wow, and my thoughtful cousin couldn't even find it in himself to help_ me _out? Rude._

Rather than saying that, however, Mikasa opts for a vague hum in response. "You were pretty harsh to that Braus girl this morning."

Annie simply shrugs. "I think she's annoying as fuck. Why, got a problem?"

"Not at all," the brunette hurriedly responds. "Just an observation. Couldn't she be useful later?"

She's surprised when the blonde loses herself in uncontrollable laughter at what she considers to be a ridiculous statement.

The last person who arrives downstairs for breakfast is Jean, who manages a stylishly disheveled look in light red ("Definitely not pink," he insists) chino shorts and an unbuttoned short sleeve dress shirt. His hair is waxed upwards in a messy fashion and a pair of sunglasses with lenses to match his shorts are pushed atop his head. He looks kind of lost for a moment, but quickly recovers as he takes his place behind Mikasa and puts the leftover scraps of food onto his plate.

It takes him a moment to realize just who it is that's standing next to him, and when he finally does, he surprisingly doesn't offer her much of a reaction. "Oh, hey. Morning, Mikasa."

And that's really all he says. And Mikasa's vaguely wondering if that's all she's supposed to expect or if there's something more there because wow, people are weird.

In a few short minutes, the teenagers have dispersed themselves around the living room and deck area and Erwin's grabbed a mic to talk to them. "Morning everyone! We trust that you've enjoyed last night's rest and are in the midst of enjoying the breakfast the staff made for you this morning."

From outside over at the pool deck, there's a muffled, "Man, this bacon sucks ass!" in an attempted faux voice. It is followed by booming laughter and a certain brunet snickering, "Dude, he's _totally_ going to punch your dick off with his french fry swords."

Levi has literally lost all of the damns that he could possibly give.

"Anyway," Erwin continues with an awkward clearing of his throat, "In an attempt to further introduce all of you to one another, we'll be holding a team scavenger hunt today."

Petra beams proudly at the words, as the activity had been her idea, and tells herself that the lack of excitement from everyone is simply due to their preoccupation with eating. Either way, she takes the mic from Erwin's hand and continues, "We'll have you guys pick names from a hat and then you and your partner will proceed to find items that we've hidden around the island in preparation for our bonfire later tonight. There'll be s'mores and campfire songs and it'll be super fun, so make sure you try your hardest!"

The short brunet beside her looks at her in pity as she still somehow manages to have her hopes up. Does she _really_ not get that these kids are lazyass fuckers who he has absolutely zero faith in?

"For now though," Erwin continues, "Feel free to enjoy your breakfast and relax. We'll come back here at noon to start the scavenger hunt."

He expects some sort of answer but, of course, doesn't really get one as the teenagers are too preoccupied doing their own thing.

Noticing this, Levi turns to his two companions with a sneer, "If they won't shut up, then it _must_ mean that they're all becoming comfortable enough with one another. Why can't we just skip the niceties and jump straight into drunk boys wrestling in mud?"

To his silent surprise, neither individual responds to his venomous attitude. Instead, Erwin simply grips his shoulder while Petra offers him what looks like a reassuring smile. It's freaking Levi out. Why are they being so silently nice to him? In the past months that he's worked with him both, he's come to the conclusion that this is probably _the worst_ possible situation he could ever find himself in. Where's Hange? Hange would probably save him.

Or make things worse.

 _Moblit_. Moblit's who he should be looking for.

Before the man has an opportunity to think about it anymore, Erwin heaves him over his shoulder and begins walking in some seemingly random direction that Levi can't really detect because Petra is trailing incredibly close behind them both and might as well be blocking everything from his view at this point.

Levi blames his inadequate height for people constantly taking advantage of him.

* * *

**[ REC o ]**

"O-Oh! Hi. Marco here," the freckled boy awkwardly begins with a shy wave. It's kind of clear that he isn't sure what exactly it is that he's doing there, but the genuine innocence that exudes his being is unmistakable.

"In all honesty, I'm kind of excited to be here. Everyone has such good energy. I'm a little concerned about Annie though—sure, I've cast myself in an alliance with her, but wow, I didn't realize she could be so… _mean_ ," he admits, looking a tad bit guilty as he plays with his fingers. "I thought that she was only mean to Sasha yesterday because the heat was getting to her. There's no need to make enemies with people for no reason though, right? And Sasha's really nice…"

He lets out a soft sigh. "Bertholdt told me that coming in here would be a good idea to get the audience to know me better, but I don't know. I feel kind of awful for admitting these things about Annie. I'm sure that she's nice; I wasn't lying when I said that earlier. I just don't know how deeply you have to dig in order to uncover her true personality and, frankly, I don't think that any one of us are the right person to try and figure it out. I get a really weird vibe from her."

Realizing that he's solely focused on one member of the cast in his confessional, he quickly shakes his head to rid himself of his own train of thought. "But Bertholdt's really nice, I really like him. I think that he's kind of concerned about Annie as well, but he hasn't said anything about it specifically yet. I'm happy that he seems like the kind of guy to have your back though and that he has _my_ back. I think he'll sort of become my security blanket on the show," he admits with a shy laugh and a faint blush. "Mikasa's alright, I guess. She's only really talked to Annie even though she's in my alliance, so I don't know that much about her. She's quiet—like me— so if we ever do get to know one another, it'll be a while.

"I've yet to really speak to anyone else, but that's okay. I'm pretty excited for the bonfire Ms. Petra talked about and so hopefully that'll be fun. I just really hope that Bertholdt and I are partners for the scavenger hunt today. I don't really know if I'm ready to meet anyone else just yet…"

* * *

"Oh, hey, Marco! I was looking for you!" Bertholdt calls with a friendly smile on his face. He had gone to shower when Marco had left to shoot his personal interview with the camera and the other smells kind of like spiced peaches—which is a bit weird—but Marco doesn't comment on it. "Sasha invited us to go hang out with her and Jean over at the pool deck."

The freckled brunet doesn't realize that there's a wide smile spreading itself across his features until it begins to hurt a little. Muscles must not be used to it or something of the sort. "W-Wow, that sounds great! But, er…"

Bertholdt raises a single eyebrow in curiosity at his new friend's sudden anxiousness but is eventually able to see his train of thought. "Oh, don't worry about Annie. I think that her and Mikasa went to the beach a few minutes ago—besides, just because we're in an alliance with her doesn't mean that she _owns_ us."

"You're probably right, Bertholdt—"

"My name's a mouthful," the man interrupts, "Just call me Bertl."

The words send Marco's face into a scrunched up, freckled mess of delight as he allows himself an enthusiastic nod.

As the two didn't receive the fortune of winning one of the coveted rooms on the top floor, they aren't granted access to the designer closets that their fellow castmates are. Instead, they're left to wear whatever it was that they had brought from home—not that it leaves either man full of complaint. Bertholdt opts for a simple pair of black boardshorts and a white tank top branded with some obscure graphic design, while Marco settles for tan cargo shorts and a forest green t-shirt. It's not long before they've arrived at the pool deck and Sasha excitedly waves them over to the bar where a bright pink drink in a margarita glass sits topped with a miniature umbrella.

"Hey, you guys! Over here! C'mon, Jean's making everyone drinks!"

The newly-appointed bartender looks a bit surprised by her words, but decides to laugh it off. "Sash, I'm really not that great at mixing drinks. I'm honestly surprised that you're enjoying it at all!"

She waves away his words with a quick shake of her head, "Chill, man, I'm pretty sure that you have a talent with this stuff. What did you even put in this?"

He can do nothing but offer her a nonchalant shrug. "Not sure. I just kind of went for it."

Brown eyes stare blankly at him for a moment before they crinkle with delight as a soft giggle escapes her lips.

As Marco and Bertholdt lightly jog to see just exactly what it is that the new "bartender" is capable of, they pass by Ymir, who's lounging on an inflatable recliner within the massive pool. She's wearing a pair of baggy shorts and a gray tank top with a series of profanities splattered upon it in bright red ink. It seems that she's fallen asleep in her position, a copy of _Northanger Abbey_ covering her features as she floats on the water.

Rushing past the duo are Reiner and Eren, who are both making a mad dash for the beach as they compete with one another to catch a football that Connie's thrown their way. The latter, who had previously been laughing it up with his infinitely optimistic friends seems a bit confused as he watches the redheaded girl that he had befriended yesterday explain something excitedly to the two individuals she had waved over, slowly realizing that it wasn't _him_ that she had been looking for.

It's not that he's _hurt_ by it but rather just a bit confused by it. He's not really sure, in all honesty.

His thoughts are quickly pulled back into his sport as a football is sent spiraling back in his direction and Eren belts a few deafening complaints about how it's not fair for him to be competing against a former high school football star.

"Connie, let's go," Reiner calls as he continues to balance sprinting backwards in the general direction of the beach and keeping Eren in what seems to be an incredibly tight headlock. "If Eren wants to challenge me to a show of _brawn_ , then I know for sure that he's getting beat!"

Somewhere, in an unknown location and completely and utterly passed out, Levi cringes at the awful pun.

The shorter man responds with a boisterous laugh before charging after the "fighting" duo with the football, a dramatically loud battle cry whooping through the air as he storms by.

Further down the line, taking a stroll in between the land and the sea are Krista and Armin. Though they're both barefoot, it's only Krista that allows her ankles to bathe in the glory of seafoam. With her hair waving freely in the wind, she feels as though she's cleaned herself up rather nicely in her floral maxi dress that she has to hold up with her left hand. Beside her, Armin's pushed up the sleeves of his sweater and is holding a pink umbrella above the two of them as they walk.

To Krista's surprise, he's been practically silent since she insisted on meeting up at the beach instead of by the bar—which almost _completely_ contrasts the mood he had seemed to be in earlier. He's allowed her to steal away his sunglasses to cover up her own baby blues and has instead opted for staring down at the sand he walks upon. His female companion vaguely thinks that she should be at least _somewhat_ concerned over his seemingly sudden change in personality but chooses instead to revel in his silence and the lively churning of the waves at her feet.

Of course, it's all broken by a thunderous, "Man, I'm _fucking feeling it_!" and the sudden rush of air as Eren appears seemingly out of nowhere, catches a football, and proceeds to fall onto his back in the salty ocean water.

"Dammit, Eren, I didn't think you'd tip the scale like this!" Connie moans.

Reiner's just laughing at the scene and at Connie, who seems to have replaced Eren's position in the headlock.

Armin and Krista, each both very lost in their own thoughts, can do nothing but stare blankly at the tanned figure soaked from head to toe in salt water. His golden-green eyes are still crackling with excitement as the blonde reaches down to pick up his fallen snapback from the water and place it back atop his head.

A few meters away, Annie and Mikasa watch the scene unfold from their position underneath the shade of a tree. While the latter seems to be there only because she's not too sure where else she can go, Annie seems to be incredibly focused on the scene ahead of them. Absentmindedly fingering a loose thread on the beach towel the two had uncovered within one of Marco's unpacked bags ("I'm sure he won't mind if we borrow this—he's too nice for his own good," the blonde had insisted), Mikasa wonders what exactly it is about Annie that makes her anxious yet ultimately comforting.

"Hey, you hung out with them yesterday, right?"

The silence is broken by Annie's low alto as she nods in the direction of the other beachgoers. Connie seems to have been called away by a staff member, Reiner's no longer anywhere to be seen, and the other three are still standing on the shoreline.

Mikasa offers a simple nod, "Yeah, I did. Save for the bigger blond guy. Don't really know who he is."

"Are those two dating?" Annie continues, surprising Mikasa with her blunt question. It's obvious that she's referring to Armin and Krista, though at this point, as Mikasa follows her stare, Eren's picked up the former as though he were merely a sack of potatoes while they both laugh and the latter yells some kind of crude joke in indignation.

"I don't think so. I'm not exactly sure what it is between the two of them, but I don't think they're the types that would get into a relationship so quickly after meeting someone," she offers up in response. Though Mikasa would have to admit that she doesn't actually know them that well, she's always had a knack for making assumptions about people that tend to lean further towards the truth than the guesses of any others.

If she had been expecting a response from her female companion, she doesn't get one. Annie instead chooses to stare ahead, only making Mikasa even more curious as to what it is that's caught her interest.

The silence is broken by a, "She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

Both women seem taken aback by the compliment and turn to face a madly blushing man with short blond hair and miniscule eyebrows. He notices the unwanted attention rather quickly and his features seem to only redden. "O-Oh, hi. Sorry. I'm, uh, Reiner." When they only continue to stare at him blankly, he fumbles with something else to cover up his embarrassing outburst. "C-Connie was called to the staff tent to pick up some fanmail or something. So do you guys maybe want to play football with Eren and I? Or, uh, if girls aren't into that sort of thing—"

"Sure," Annie cuts in, looking to Mikasa to silently ask if it's okay. Her brunette companion looks a bit nervous as she turns her attention away from Reiner and towards the trio that are still running yelling things at one another on the beach. "You go on ahead, we'll catch up in a bit."

Once he's gone, she states, "I feel like I'm making you do something you're not comfortable with and now I feel bad."

Mikasa only sighs. "That's not it. I'm just awkward around people. I don't think I made the best impression on those three yesterday."

"So?" The blonde leans back further into the sandy towel. "I can definitely tell you that I'm not on most peoples' good sides. I think that you just have to remember that the world is full of assholes and most of the time, you can't change how they see you; what's important is that you act in a way that you can be proud of because the only person ever worth impressing is yourself."

She definitely hadn't been expecting such words from the steely-eyed girl beside her, but despite the motivating picture they paint inside her heart, Mikasa can't find it in herself to believe them. And she wonders if Annie, herself, even does.

"You're right," she lies smoothly, "C'mon let's go play ball."

Blue eyes slide to stare at the brunette with something incomprehensible dancing in their glow. But without another word, she follows suit and they both jog to catch up to Reiner.

Eren and Armin have both fallen to the sand, the former roaring with undying laughter and the latter chuckling in amusement. Krista is silently fuming from her position atop Eren's chest as she continues to chastise him for some unknown comment while occasionally shooting a glare or two over towards her fellow blond whenever he finds a flaw in whatever it is that she's rambling about. Mikasa immediately feels like they're interrupting a moment that they shouldn't be a part of, but as though she senses this, Annie reaches for her hand to offer a reassuring squeeze.

"—But, like, do you _see_ that hot bod? Man, if Armin looked at _me_ that way, I don't think I'd be able to hold myself back!"

"Ugh, Eren, that is _not_ the point I was trying to make!" the petite girl silently fumes, cheeks flushed a bright shade of scarlet as she does everything in her power to maintain a semblance of a level head.

"Well, Kris, in all honesty, whatever point you were trying to make was pretty nonexistent to begin with," Armin chimes in with a playful smirk. His female counterpart guffaws at the words and quickly shifts her weight in an attempt to tackle him into the sand. She, of course, misses, and lands between the two boys, eventually joining in their ringing mirth aloud.

As the newcomers stop directly in front of the trio, Eren finally takes notice. His eyes scan the crowd and lock onto Mikasa's as he says, "Oh, hey, Reiner! Connie's not back yet, but we can restart the game without him—he was losing anyway."

The brunette squirms uneasily underneath the heavy weight of his gaze, and noting this, Eren chooses to look elsewhere with a small smirk forming upon his lips.

Reiner enthusiastically agrees and before long, he and Eren are fighting over who's on whose team while Annie takes a seat on the ground and begins to engage Armin in a conversation—much to his surprise. Krista lets her stare rest for a little too long on the blonde newcomer before switching focus and instead allowing her stare to rest on Mikasa's with a smile that the latter simply can't crack.

"So you're Levi's younger cousin, right?"

And Mikasa had kind of been hoping that no one would find out, but Krista apparently has a way of just knowing things so she can do nothing but nod.

At her confirmation, Krista shoots her a playful wink. "Noted."

* * *

**[ REC o ]**

"Krista scares me. It's official."

* * *

It isn't long before noon hits and they all wander back towards the kitchen of the mansion to get paired up for the scavenger hunt.

Ymir's the first one to arrive, but Jean, Sasha, Marco, and Bertholdt aren't too far behind her. All five are holding drinks of various colors ("I don't even really _like_ it," Bertholdt had whispered to Marco, "But for some reason I keep asking Jean for more."), though Ymir's settled for a bottle of beer. None of them, however, are really tipsy except for Sasha, who keeps giggling like a schoolgirl and is clinging to Bertholdt's arm in an attempt to maintain her balance.

Connie arrives soon afterwards with a box of cookies that he explains were sent to him by his mother. He offers each of them one and regrets his decision to do so almost instantaneously because in a mere matter of seconds, a beast awakens inside Sasha and he's left cookie-less.

The other six teenagers trickle in slowly after the other. In the end, there had only been half an hour left for them to get anything done and it was ultimately only Eren and Reiner that did anything athletic (read: wrestled in the ocean trying to see who could pull whose boardshorts down first). The others settled for scooting underneath the single umbrella that Armin had been holding earlier and allowing the blond man to entertain them as he attempted to narrate the scene before them ("If you look ahead, you can see two male muscleheads in their natural habitat…"), complete with a mock British accent.

Petra pulls Mikasa to the side, much to the latter's alarm. "Hey, Levi's been a little grumpier than usual—"

"Yeah, I noticed."

"—And so is it alright that we let him crash in your room for a bit? He passed out as soon as Erwin dropped him onto the mattress which _really_ says something since that thing is hard as a rock."

The younger woman allows a short sigh because _yeah_ , it really is. "It's fine with me, really. Just as long as the other contestants don't find out about it." Onyx eyes allow themselves to flicker towards a certain blonde for a moment who seems to making hesitant conversation with a profusely blushing Reiner.

"Oh, of course, of course!" Petra promises, before motioning for the youngster to return to the group that had hardly noticed her absence and skipping back towards her position beside Erwin.

The much taller individual straightens himself up just a tad as he clears his throat in order to regain the attention of the room. "Welcome back, everyone! I hope that you enjoyed your free time on the island. In fact, it looks like a few of you enjoyed yourselves _too_ much." There is a pointed look at Sasha who suddenly looks ten times worse than she had looked before and is now humming along to an imaginary song aloud.

"As I'm sure you all remember," Petra picks up, "Yesterday's 'mission' winners were Eren, Armin, Connie, and Krista. As promised, each of you—and your partners—will receive a special perk in today's scavenger hunt. Will the four of you please come forward to choose who you'll be working with today?" As the words leave her mouth, she pulls out a random baseball cap from behind her back that is presumably filled with the names of the other contestants.

Each of the four individuals take turns reaching in to pick out a name and once they are done, Erwin says, "Now, each of you call out the name of your partner so that they can step to the side."

"Bertholdt," Eren calls out with a smile. The taller man returns the expression—albeit with a little less exuberance—as the former adds, "I'm Eren, by the way. It's nice to meet you!"

"Mikasa," Connie reads. She steps forward and carefully returns the man's high five when he gestures for one.

"Jean," Armin states rather calmly. In the back of the room, said individual adjusts the shades atop his head before approaching his new partner, chest slightly sticking out. Armin has to remind himself to refrain from laughing.

"Annie," Krista drawls cautiously. Two pairs of blue eyes shoot to meet the other as the fellow blonde manages a small sneer.

With that said and done, Petra gestures for the remaining individuals to choose names out of the hat.

Ymir and Reiner are the first ones to reach the much shorter woman, and the former can only pray that she's paired with anybody but him. Sasha's barely able to move forward without Marco's help and so the poor guy is stuck helping her out from the back.

In the end, Ymir and Marco are to work together while Reiner and Sasha make up the other pair.

"Now, here are the rules of the game: find as many items as you possibly can for the bonfire tonight and be back here at four. Each item you bring back will be able to score you between one and three points. These items are pretty obvious—like marshmallows and flint—and already have a preassigned score to them. However, any item is game as long as you're able to create an argument for how it's significant—if we're convinced to agree with you, you will be granted a total of five points per item."

"The only individuals who will be allowed to see the list of preassigned items are Eren, Armin, Connie and Krista. However, they'll each only be able to look at the list for one minute each. Whenever they want to use this advantage is up to them, but keep in mind that you'll only be allowed to look at the list once—no pictures or copying it down either."

Erwin looks down at his wristwatch before raising his eyes to the rest of the contestants with a wide grin. "Your four hours begins now. Go!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *old man voice* It's been eighty-nine years since I last updated this fic…
> 
> Haha, hi, everyone! I'm awfully sorry for this horribly late update. I could drown all of you in excuses, but I'm sure that most of you are just happy (hopefully?) that I'm back. (Though I swear, my excuses are actually really solid this time around, so hmu if you're curious.)
> 
> Since I'm a recent high school graduate and university doesn't start for another three months for me (woot!), I'm hoping that I can churn out some weekly updates for you guys, but I'm pretty hesitant about making promises, so I guess we'll just see. In this chapter, I wanted to focus on highlighting some of the other characters (like Marco and Bertholdt) that haven't really been getting much attention. I'm not sure how successful I was with that though—I actually think I just talked about Historia more than I should have because my bias towards her is strong and I cry. I think I brought some of the focus off of Eren though, who I was also writing about a lot, so hopefully that's a good thing? I'm trying to give everyone some equal character development but I'm realizing now hard it is to juggle twelve+ characters evenly, so lol, whooooops. At the very least, the foreshadowing has begun! Homemade digital brownies to anyone who's able to notice them. ;b
> 
> As always, don't forget to vote for your current favorite character in the reviews and the poll on my ffnet profile! Last chapter's results will be combined with this chapter's before I announce the winner at the end of "this episode" (read: the next chapter). Just as a reminder, your votes don't decide who wins the challenge and are simply going to be used to decide the third-place winner at the end of the show. c:
> 
> In other news, if you're a Kingdom Hearts fan and willing to read more of my work (LOL), feel free to check out my new story, Nonexistent, on my profile! It's technically not a new story, but rather a revamp of my first fanfic ever, so don't worry, it shouldn't really interfere with updates to this story. c;
> 
> Also, if you're just a video game nerd in general, hit me up over at my tumblr (nojeons) and please cry with me because Sony and Square have literally slayed me with emotional feelings.
> 
> Okay, I'm done for real this time, LOL.
> 
> Constructive criticism is always more than appreciated! Thank you all so much for your support. *showers you all in endless rainbows of love*


	6. episode ii part ii

"I'm still not sure that this is a good idea," Erwin admits. "I have this weird feeling that one of the kids is going to get hurt. It's like, my dad instincts are kicking in." There's a pause as something suddenly dawns on them. "Oh my God, they're like my children. I am responsible for their _lives_. And we basically sent them to _kill each other_ —"

Levi's looking at Erwin as though he's on drugs and Petra seems genuinely concerned. "Mr. Smith, maybe you should get out of the heat… Have the two of you and Hange even _attempted_ to fix up the tent from the other day?"

This time Levi looks at Petra as though _she's_ on drugs and Erwin looks as though he suddenly doesn't know English. "Petra, why the _hell_ —"

"Okay, okay," she hurriedly says, gesturing for the slightly taller man to calm down. "I'm just saying that _maybe_ it could help you guys with the sleep. I'm surprised Hange didn't suggest it earlier."

"Oh, they did," the blond admits in a casual matter. "But then they passed out on top of the tent and Levi and I didn't feel like dealing with that."

Petra sighs, long and soft, as she regards the two men before her. They're idiots. But she likes them. They're lovable idiots.

"Guess it's Erwin's turn to take a nap in Mikasa's room?"

Levi whips his head around with a furious glare that the brunette was definitely not expecting. "You can't let a grownass man sleep in a teenager's room! That's fucking creepy as _hell_ —especially if we don't ask her first."

"You _literally_ just did the same thing," Petra deadpans.

"It's different!" Levi insists, dusted pink threatening to break through his complexion. As he scrambles with a proper explanation, he blurts, "I raised her, I'm practically her _father_!"

"Golly gee, Levi, you can join my dad club!"

In a brazen attempt at self-defense, the short brunet grabs a nearby frying pan and slams it into the side of his boss' face.

Oh yeah, it's definitely going to leave a mark.

He looks mortified by what he's done and can't stop looking between his hand, Erwin's face, and Petra's surprisingly calm expression. The woman puts a gentle hand on his shoulder before carefully taking the frying pan out of his grip. "Fix the tent and get some sleep, Levi." When she doesn't get a single reaction out of him with the statement, she adds on, "Or, I mean, you have a certain _assistant_ that is basically paid to do whatever you tell him, so—"

"Petra, you're a genius." She smiles at him, flattered by the compliment. "Now help me drag Erwin into a bush or something where no one will find him. I'll think of an explanation later."

She parts her mouth to question whether or not that's a good idea but ultimately decides that it's probably just a better to do whatever Levi tells her to.

Worst comes to worst, she'll just blame Oluo.

* * *

**-—episode two: all the doo dah day—-**

" _Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down there, Freckles. Your family is either made up of pagans or I'm missing something here_ _._ "

**[ REC o ]**

"Okay, in all honesty, Armin intimidates _the fuck_ out of me," Jean admits with a nonchalant shrug. "I don't even know what it is about him. And it's super hard to admit this out loud because I'm _Jean Kirstein_. _I_ 'm the one who's supposed to be intimidating _others_. We haven't met before this moment though, so if I can make a proper impression on him, then I know that he'll make a formidable ally."

There's a pause.

"I just don't know how the fuck I'm going to do that."

* * *

"So, uh, what's our strategy?"

Everyone had kind of bolted from the room—either to start their frantic search for items or to locate Hange, who was in charge of the scavenger hunt list. The only two left are Armin (who had remained calm amidst the chaos and simply pulled out a notepad and pen out of nowhere) and Jean (who had run forward only to realize that his partner had not and had to walk back with some remote shame in his shoulders).

The blond boy says nothing but continues to scribble words onto his notepad. Jean has no real choice but to lean his back against Armin's chair with crossed arms. In all honesty, he's kind of annoyed: he wants to _win_ and since this is a team challenge, winning is going to be pretty difficult unless Armin actually speaks _up_.

So with a sigh, the brunet realizes that he has no real choice other than to come up with his own plan, sort through it aloud, and hope that the other eventually joins in. "If a majority of the points are offered for coming up with unique items that aren't listed, then that's what we should probably focus on. In this case, the 'advantage' you got us for winning the last round isn't very helpful. That means we should be avoiding anything that has to do with s'mores, since that's likely what the others are targeting first."

Armin stops his messy scrawl in bemused surprise as he twists his torso to stare at the taller boy's back. All he really knew about this guy was what Eren had told him—and it definitely wasn't impressive. Seems that, as he had originally expected, Eren's perceptions of others tended to be clouded. "That's exactly what I had been thinking. I think that we should completely refrain from looking at the list in general; not only would it hinder our creativity, but I'm sure that Eren and Connie looked at it right away and are going to be racing one another the entire time in order to get everything they can on it. Rushing after them now—"

"Will only be a waste of energy," Jean finishes, leading his partner to a smirk.

" _Precisely_. Now let's start listing."

* * *

"Freckles, you're _real_ quiet and it's freaking me out."

Marco wants to point out that addressing him by that particular facial feature is a bit odd since the woman in front of him shares the same trait. However, Ymir absolutely terrifies him, so he knows that it's a dumb idea. "I don't know what I should say," he manages. The slow trickle of sweat threatens to spill from his hairline and the young man wants to blame the island heat over his nerves. He knows that would be a lie though.

Ymir sighs, hands running through her messy bun, only succeeding in pulling out even more strands of hair. "Not really sure where we should be starting. We should probably snag some firewood before anyone else does—though I'm not very sure where they'd be keeping it."

"A shed or something?" Marco offers.

The woman in front of him turns to him with a response on her open lips but is cut off as the attention of the freckled duo is instantly redirected to none other than Eren Jaeger and Connie Springer making a mad dash past the two of them. They're shouting taunting obscenities at one another, Mikasa and Bertholdt trailing behind worriedly, until the frontrunners proceed to trip over a tree root and tumble to the ground.

"Whoa, _whoa_ , now you're just trying to sabotage me, man!" Eren snorts, playful glare sparkling in his oddly colored eyes.

Connie throws an absent punch to the other boy's shoulder in annoyance. "You're the one who almost ripped up the list when it was my turn to look at it!"

As they continue to bicker back and forth, Ymir shoots Mikasa a raised brow while Marco silently wonders if Bertholdt really is this patient or if he's silently just dying on the inside. Standing next to one another looking in opposite directions, both Bertholdt and Mikasa look as though they'd rather be anywhere else. It isn't until they're forced to come to a sudden stop that they each refocus on what's directly in front of them.

"Oh, hey, Marco! How's your hunt going?" Bertholdt says with an easy smile.

Marco's nervousness goes away and he shoots his friend a wide grin. "Hi, Bertl. Ymir and I were just getting ready to go firewood hunting."

Ymir glares at her partner, feeling as though he's revealed one of their top secrets to their number one enemy—which might as well be true since Bertholdt is partnered with Eren, who currently seems to be leading the pack. The look doesn't last for long though as her eyes drift back to stare at Mikasa, who's gone back to looking uncomfortable and unsure of herself. At first, Ymir had been kind of relieved that the younger girl had ended up with Springer, rather than Jaeger. Unfortunately though, it seems as though they were kind of stuck together anyway. The freckled woman frowns, unsure of how to help but wanting to do so anyway.

When she's not staring at everyone's knees, Mikasa's allowing herself hesitant glances at Eren and Connie wrestling in the dirt. Maybe it's because she's used to having connections pre-established, but she honestly has no idea what it is with her relationship with Eren—or Jean, for that matter. Anyone, really. Perhaps she just sought some sort of closure? He just needed to say, "Look, I tried to help you and then you ran away from my help without even saying anything to me. Why?" And she wouldn't be able to answer the question simply because she didn't know how. And it would suck. She would just end up blurting a dumb "I guess I was scared." And then, because the conversation is still nothing more than a sad fabrication in her head, his expression would cloud over and everything would fade to white.

Hearing the freckled boy's words, Bertholdt frowns before hesitantly admitting, "Hange let it slip that they don't actually have any storebought firewood on the island. There's an axe though, in the staff's shed." Ymir instantly turns to face the two conversing teenagers with a scowl on her features. Seeing her displeasure, the tall man puts both of his hands up in defense. "Connie and Eren are probably too lazy to go after it, in all honesty, so you'll probably be able to claim it with no problem. Don't really see anyone else being interested in chopping away at these bigass trees."

(Somewhere, lugging Erwin's body behind him, Levi shivers.)

"I guess. Anything else you'd like to spill?" Ymir challenges. It's not that she doesn't appreciate the tip—it's more like she doesn't understand how this guy has zero fighting spirit and is totally willing to just give away important information to his enemies. Like, he knows that there can ultimately be only _one_ winner, right?

Out of friendly concern at a certain brunette's silence, Marco rests a gentle hand on Mikasa's forearm, jolting the latter into paying attention. "U-Uh, Connie and Eren have been fighting about who's going to get the classic s'mores supplies on the list. They're trying to one-up each other, I think."

Ymir really thinks that these kids are too nice to be on this dumb reality show.

Not knowing what to say—or how to thank them for the information, in all honesty—she breathes a soft sigh. "I can break them up, if you want. That way you guys can get back on track. I'm sorry that you have to put up with these dickwads."

Mikasa doesn't respond, Marco looks away, and Bertholdt simply offers an offhand shrug.

Taking that as a yes, Ymir prepares to throw herself into the brawl. Seeing her, Eren instantly shrieks and Connie, not knowing what he's getting himself into, sits on top of Eren's chest with arms in the air—a victory pose of sorts.

In three seconds flat, Connie's face is stuck in the dirt with Ymir's foot firmly on the back of his head as the brunette throws her head back in gloating laughter and Eren just sits there wide-eyed and not knowing what else to do.

"Dibs on the axe," she states.

"Yes, m'am!"

"You're going to trust this chick with a fucking _axe_?" Connie yelps before he's pushed back down to take in another mouthful of sand.

Bertholdt chuckles and Ymir turns to look at him with an odd expression of relief on her features.

_At least_ one of them _has a bit of a bad side._

* * *

"Krista, your time's up with the list," Hange states with a smile as they gesture with their hand for the piece of paper to be given back. The whiteness of their teeth contrasts starkly with the pinkish-red of Krista's neutral lips. The young blonde returns the object without so much as a flicker of change in her expression before returning to her partner's side.

It's silent for a moment until she states, "The list is a lot shorter than I had imagined. Since Eren and Connie have been here already, I assume they're both going after all the s'mores stuff. Our best bet is to go after the basic sanitation supplies: napkins, utensils, hand sanitizer, and the like."

Annie doesn't respond. In her opinion, there's a better approach to winning this round of the competition. She's pretty sure that if she wasn't so pissed about getting _this_ bitch as her partner, the solution would come to her fairly easily. Of course, she _is_ Krista's partner for this challenge despite all the odds, so she'll have to deal.

Annie's not always good with dealing.

Taking her silence as some kind of offhand approval, Krista turns on her heel and leads the way back to the Smith mansion so that the two can raid the pantry. For a moment, faint concern flickers through her mind as she wonders whether or not her fellow blonde will even bother to follow her. After a few seconds of leading the way, she finally hears the soft patter of footsteps behind her.

Good.

In all honesty, Krista typically _likes_ when there's no noise; she enjoys hearing the sound of the distant waves and the birds in the background and the soft breath of those around her. This time around, however, the silence is cold, frigid, and threatens to drown her within her own thoughts. And sometimes that's okay, but when she's in a bad mood—like right now—it is most certainly _not_ okay.

They pass the pool deck, where that Reiner kid is trying to stop his redheaded partner from puking into the chlorinated water—to no avail.

As soon as the silence is distorted by the sound of Sasha's retching, Krista snaps. "So are you suddenly a mute or something? Or do you just not have anything worth saying? Either's fine with me, I guess—they wouldn't be particularly shocking given your case."

Malice flashes in Annie's eyes—unbeknownst to the blonde in front of her—as memories of a life lived long ago flash through her mind. If she wasn't as rational as she is, she would pummel the girl in front of her to a bloody pulp. Of course, she quickly reminds herself that there's no way this chick would know anything about her past. It just wouldn't make sense.

Still, it's hard to ignore the bubbling anger pulsing through her veins.

"I don't like you," she spits.

Krista's not really sure what she had been expecting; she's even more surprised as she realizes that these are the first words that the other has ever spoken to her. What an impression.

They've reached the sliding glass door of the mansion now, and as she opens the door, she turns and manages a bemused expression. "Oh?"

"No need to play coy—we both know that you already knew that," Annie states, avoiding the glazed-over blue of her partner as she shoulders past her into the house.

In all honesty, Krista doesn't know what to say. _Did_ she already know that? She has no idea. All she knows is that she's lost power in this conversation—something that she _hates_ to admit—and that the air in the room has suddenly become very stiff and uncomfortable. Shit. " _Oh_ ," she finally manages with a forced, ringing laugh.

Historia doesn't like getting caught offguard. Getting caught offguard means that you're weak. Getting caught offguard means that you're a liability. Getting caught offguard means that you no longer have a purpose. _Historia doesn't like getting caught offguard_.

And so even though she knows it's not her place to say anything, she does it anyway. "I also know about your father, and wow, isn't _that_ one hell of a story."

Annie freezes and something inside Krista's chest drops. She can feel her skin run cold and she's shaking now and dear _Lord_ she thought that she had outgrown such childish mannerisms.

The power's back in her hands though—back where it belongs—and so she forces a smirk and pushes past the other girl to investigate the pantry.

Annie never moves from her spot.

* * *

"My mouth tastes icky now," Sasha whines as she falls to a crumpled heap on the side of the pool. Chunks of her breakfast float in the water before her and Reiner is just thankful that he managed to stomach the straight five minutes of puking. He also feels like he should get brownie points for holding back his partner's hair as she threw up. Like, man. Talk about your unproblematic fave.

"I don't really know how I can help and I'm no medical genius. I think we should get you some water though?" In her dazed state, she crawls closer to the edge of the pool and leans over its surface. "No, no, not _that_ water!" He grimaces.

In all honesty, Reiner isn't sure what to do. Like, how do you drink so much this early in the morning? Did she not know her limits? Was this a first-time thing for her?

"I'm sleepy," she mumbles and then all of a sudden she's snoring.

They have a scavenger hunt to focus on. But it would probably look bad if he just left her. So with a sigh, he hoists her onto his back, hunches over so that she won't fall, and—because he doesn't know where else to go—heads straight for the bar.

* * *

"I can't believe that they got the chocolate _and_ the graham crackers," Connie groans. "And I can't believe that the dumb staff didn't put that stuff in the _pantry_ ," Connie groans. He's on his knees with his head in his hands—the real image of true despair.

"You don't know that they're not," Mikasa points out, "Krista wouldn't let you in."

"Yeah, well, she didn't let _Eren_ in either, and _he_ still got the chocolate and graham crackers! Besides, we found the marshmallows in a bush and the skewers were floating in the jacuzzi."

Well, this was true.

The brunette can do nothing but sigh. In all honesty, they hadn't come up with the best game plan in the first place. "We get more points for coming up with items that weren't on the list anyway. So what else can we look for that could be used for the campfire?"

It's silent between them until Connie suddenly perks up, "Oh, hey! My mom sent me this really awesome bluetooth speaker this morning! We could use it to play some music while we're all hanging out around the campfire—it would make for a pretty awesome atmosphere, I think."

A small smile has made its way to Mikasa's lips from the simplicity of the idea. "I was thinking that we could get some drinks as well. It's weird that they weren't on the list, but people are definitely going to be thirsty."

Her partner beams before gesturing for her to give him an ecstatic high five. "Yes, _perfect_ , Mikasa! I'm so glad that I have you as my partner! Eren and the others don't stand a chance!"

She can't help but blush a little as she chuckles at his enthusiasm. It's nice feeling like people like you. And she's realizing that what makes Connie such a likable guy is his easygoing personality and nonchalant nature in regards to everything.

"Okay."

* * *

"It's a shame that the things we were going for seem to have already been taken," Armin admits with a sigh. He doesn't want to say aloud that maybe it was a bad idea to spend so much time planning rather than actually doing because he already knows that Jean's spent so much energy observing his actions and such a blunt truth would irritate the other. He doesn't have the energy to present the honesty in a nicer manner either though because making himself seem likable in the first place can be so _difficult_. Especially when he gets the feeling that Jean thinks _way_ too highly of him—which is odd, given the other's seemingly self-absorbed nature.

Armin doesn't like letting other people down though.

Jean's seated beside him on one of the deck chairs, absentmindedly watching a few of the staff members attempting to clean the pool of the floating vomit. They obviously don't know what they're doing—and if Jean weren't feeling bad right now, he would probably laugh at their misfortune. "Yeah, I guess," he mumbles, still running through a potential list of items that he can suggest that won't sound vaguely embarrassing.

The blond can feel the annoyance bubbling past his threshold however, because he's not stupid and knows that his partner's obviously keeping something from him. Which is _incredibly_ dumb because he should know that they really have no other options here. Of course, Armin knows that he has to approach the situation in a careful manner so as to not push the brunet into an even _worse_ strained silence. "We really don't have any other alternatives right now, I think. I wish I was creative enough to save the day, but all I was able to do was come up with a half-assed strategy that didn't even work," he manages, adding a choked scoff at the end for a more dramatic effect. "It all seemed so promising when we were talking earlier too… We definitely could have won…"

Amber eyes flicker to the right and then back down at his shoes.

He really needs to get over himself, doesn't he?

With a sigh, Jean straightens out of his hunched over position, turning his attention upwards at the sky as he prepares to speak. (Armin is careful enough to hide his small smirk in the sleeve of his sweater.) "Um, some meat—chicken would probably be safest since we don't want to accidentally offend anyone's religion—pineapple, bell peppers and bacon would be good. Coconut milk would be good for marination and I'm sure the pantry offers a wide assortment of salts and peppers. Tortilla shells would be good too, and then we just need tongs and aluminum foil. There are still a couple of hours left and this'll probably work if we take pictures of the ingredients to show what we've done—" There's a bright red blush spread across his cheeks as he continues to ramble.

It's incredibly clear that his partner's given all of this a lot of thought and Armin honestly can't help but be surprised. "Whoa, you cook?"

"Y-Yeah, it's a hobby of mine, I guess. I've never made kabobs or quesadillas before—especially over a campfire, but I think I can make it work," Jean mumbles into the collar of his shirt.

The condescending expression quickly morphs into a more relaxed smile as he realizes that _wow_ , this guy was so obsessed with putting on such a "great" image for himself that he was embarrassed to admit that he was some sort of culinary genius. "I think that's really cool, Jean. You're definitely the guy I would want as my college roommate!"

The words seem to surprise his partner who freezes in his fumbling to finally face the boy with blue eyes. However, he regains his composure rather quickly and forces a lame cough in an attempt to cover up his embarrassment. "Oh. Well, cool. Thanks. Now, uh, let's start getting stuff in the kitchen ready."

By the end of that sentence, he's already three-quarters of the way to the sliding glass door of the mansion and Armin can't help but chuckle.

The chuckling turns into full-fledged laughter when Jean tries to open the door, gets cut off by a snarky Krista from the inside, and has said door effectively slammed in his face.

"You could _help_ you know," Jean glares, and Armin notes with vague interest that his partner has both low patience and no idea with how to deal with embarrassment.

Jean's not Krista though—Armin doesn't particularly _need_ him. But Jean's an interesting character and Armin imagines that there's a lot more to him than meets the eye. So he won't piss the guy off—this time, at least.

Hands in his pockets, Armin calmly brushes past his fuming partner and takes his place in front of the front door. "Krista, it's me. Open up."

For a second, there's no movement behind the glass. Then a curtain is effectively pulled by the agitated blonde herself so that she doesn't have to deal with the two men outside.

" _Krista_. Is someone still upset that they couldn't even defeat _Eren Jaeger_ in a battle of wits?"

Something fragile is dropped on the other side of the glass, followed by vehement swearing and forcibly loud stomps. The curtains are thrown to the side to reveal an obscenely offended Krista who continues to curse as she opens the door for them.

Jean doesn't know if this is just how she is _all_ the time, only when she's around Armin, or if they just caught her in a really bad mood. She's kind of freaky though. And hot.

_Noted_.

As he steps into the mansion, Armin casts an amused look over his shoulder at his fellow blonde. "Thanks, doll."

She grits her teeth but says nothing. Instead, her eyes flash to another figure across the room, who's staring back at her in undisguised contempt. As Armin follows her gaze and connects the dots in his head, he resists the urge to facepalm.

If Krista was better at making herself likable, it would be _so_ much easier for him to get what he needed.

* * *

"A-Are you sure you don't need any help?"

Ymir slams the axe into the wood and allows it to rest there while she wipes some sweat off from her forehead. "Yeah, Freckles. I feel like if I trust you with this badboy here, you'll somehow end up chopping yourself in half. And that is a mess that I do _not_ want to explain."

Marco shuffles uncomfortably in his position a few feet behind them woman and mumbles a mild, "Oh, okay."

She allows herself a short glance at her teammate and takes in the pitiful slump of his shoulders, the solemnness in his eyes, and the slight downward tug of his lips.

She feels herself actually cringe.

"How about you get started on thinking up some other items we can snag?" The poor kid just wants to feel useful. Ymir can understand that much.

He brightens up a little bit at the suggestion before settling himself on the grass as Ymir resumes hacking away at the wood. Once they had picked up the axe from the staff's toolshed, they were redirected to a more remote area of the island which was apparently the only area in which they were allowed to chop wood. Marco could imagine that others would find it kind of creepy—especially with only having Ymir as company—but he kind of liked the solace it provided. It'a comforting sort of atmosphere that kind of reminded him of home, of his family.

"You know, when I was younger, my family went camping a lot."

"Yeah?"

Marco nods though he knows Ymir can't see it. "Yeah, we had a lot of weird traditions."

Another tree falls and the freckled woman pauses once more to wipe the sweat off her brow. "All my dad and I ever did was replace the chocolate with caramel. So we can do that as one of our items."

"That sounds like a good idea."

Ymir turns to survey the amount of wood they've chopped and wipes her hands of the dirt before allowing herself to fall back against the pile, ignoring the discomfort of its texture. She looks to her partner to see if he's ready to start moving, but he seems lost in his own thoughts. She won't admit it, but she's exhausted. So it's a good thing, she guesses. Her eyes flutter shut as she tunes into the bird calls a few meters away.

"We used to go once a month," Marco starts, breaking the silence. Ymir doesn't mind. The birds were getting annoying anyway. "It was like our family bonding thing. We'd spend an entire afternoon hiking in order to find the best campsite and would spend another hour and a half setting everything up—my younger brothers wouldn't really help, but that's okay. Then we'd have dinner around the fire. My mom would bring out the skewers and then afterward, we'd toast marshmallows and cinnamon rolls over the blue flames, and when we were done, I'd throw in some aluminum powder for my brother's favorite silver sparks—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down there, Freckles. Your family is either made up of pagans or I'm missing something here."

Marco's clearly surprised by her interruption, but covers it up with a sheepish grin. "Oh, sorry. I, um, when you soak the logs in a mixture of alcohol and your preferred chemicals—my brothers really loved strontium chloride and copper chloride—they'll change the color of the fire when they burn. You just have to let them dry. I liked throwing in aluminum powder to give it more of a magical effect before we all hit the tent for the night and—"

"I'm kind of lost, but that sounds really cool?" Ymir offers. "It would be so awesome if we could recreate something like that tonight! I'm sure that it'll definitely put us a step above the rest! The toasted cinnamon rolls sound like they'll be delicious too."

She doesn't really know what kind of reaction she had been expecting, but when her partner's face lights up even more, she figures it's more than good enough. "Hopefully the staff can hook us up! The longer we soak the wood, the more vibrant the colors!"

He's jumped out of his seat now and is hurriedly trying to scoop up as many logs of wood as he can into his arms—it's not very successful at all, but Ymir definitely finds it amusing. With a muffled grunt, she lifts herself from the waist up and begins to pick up after the science nerd as he skips forward.

* * *

Bertholdt looks at Eren like he's slightly crazy, but Eren decides not to think too much on it because Bertholdt seems to be a nice guy that simply can't control his expression (also because it's the expression he's held ever since they started this partnership, but oh well).

"Chestnuts," the taller boy repeats carefully.

"Yeah, you know, like the song! _Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…_ "

Eren has a pretty nice voice—Bertholdt has to admit that much. It's a low tenor that's slightly off-key but so full of genuine spirit that you hardly notice. Still, the idea seems a bit… _forced_.

"I don't know, Eren…"

The boy throws his head back in honest laughter. "I guess it's a bit of a stretch but I can't really think of anything else—unless you have some secret talent that you just aren't telling me about. But you know. Whatever."

In all honesty, Bertholdt doesn't consider himself to be a very interesting guy. He lived with his mom, his step-dad, and two siblings (Axel, a twenty-two-year-old college slacker, and Lorelei, his nine-year-old little sister) in a suburban neighborhood that was voted the top place to live in the country simply because it had good schools and a nonexistent crime rate. In his free time, all he really did was watch over Lorelei and hang out with his best friend (and _Teenage Wasteland_ reject, Finny). If he had a secret talent, then it must've been so elusive that not even _he_ was aware of it.

Which would definitely be a big waste.

"Well, hey," Eren suggests, seeing the taller boy's brows furrow in some kind of concern, "Let's just find some chestnuts and then hunt for some random junk in our rooms—doubt that there'll be anyone there to yell at us for going on floors that we're not to be on. Come on!"

Bertholdt figures that they don't have any better ideas so he'll just follow suit.

* * *

**[ REC o ]**

Eren struggles to adjust the camera into a favorable position before falling back onto the confessional booth's stool with a wide grin on his face. "Long story short? Bertholdt was _totally_ keeping a secret talent from me."

* * *

"Attention, contestants! The time limit for the scavenger hunt has elapsed and we now ask all of you to meet us back at the pool deck for your evaluations!" Petra chirrups into the microphone.

The echo of her voice from the speakers around the island leave her with a prideful smile as Levi continues to prod at Erwin's back with his foot. "It's been hours now." A silent question is being asked within his words as he raises his head to face the brunette beside him. "I wouldn't be surprised if I accidentally killed him because that's totally just my luck."

"You didn't kill him," Petra affirms with a roll of the eyes. "He couldn't sleep the night before and you just… knocked him out so he wouldn't struggle anymore. Maybe if you didn't give him a black eye he would thank you."

Levi snorts at the comment but smiles nonetheless. "Yeah. I'll just call Hange and make them deal with it. They're good at dealing with things. Or making them worse. It's either a hit or miss."

* * *

_**AND THE RESULTS ARE IN!** _

Armin and Jean: 45 points

Ymir and Marco: 28 points

Connie and Mikasa: 24 points

Reiner and Sasha: 15 points

Eren and Bertholdt: 14 points

Krista and Annie: 8 points

* * *

By seven, all of the contestants have showered and redressed.

Levi had stopped by his tent to grab a change of clothes (because islands are hot and sweat is gross and it was probably a bad idea to be wearing jeans in this kind of weather), seen Hange awkwardly tending to Erwin's face with a bagful of ice, noted that they had tucked Erwin into the ground with the tarp of their tent, and then bolted out of there. He's currently in a sour mood hoping that this campfire will at least be _somewhat_ entertaining. And will have good food.

He's also hoping that he can get Mikasa to sneak him a pillow from her room, but that would have to wait.

"I'm not even mad that we didn't win," Eren insists as he walks down the stairs with Connie. "Like, bro, you don't even understand. Bertholdt and I are going to _wreck_."

"How can you wreck anything if you're basically at the bottom of the leaderboard? Eren, please. You're just mad because even though you got the chocolate and graham crackers, Mikasa and I _still_ managed to destroy your score."

The brunet only laughs at the remark. "You'll understand it better later. The numbers don't matter: in the end, it's all about how fun tonight is."

"That sounded like a line from a really cheesy teenage movie on Disney Channel," Jean cuts in. The smile is wiped off Eren's face as his nose crinkles in distaste. "Oh come _on_ , I didn't even say anything _remotely_ douchey that time. Calm your balls."

Connie can't help laugh at Jean's immediate defensiveness and before the three know it, they tumble down the stairs because Reiner isn't watching where he's going. Suddenly they're all screaming, blaming one another, and trying to push the former athlete off, but the fallen blond is too exhausted from taking care of his partner earlier in the day to even acknowledge their plight.

At the top of the staircase, Armin and Ymir continue to alternate between looking at the heap of testosterone on the floor and each other before bursting out into laughter.

Ascending from their rooms downstairs are Annie and Mikasa; the latter seems to be worried about something the former isn't saying and the former's gaze looks dull and lifeless. The two stop for a moment to gaze at the scene before the shorter girl rolls her blue eyes and starts to lead the way to the campfire.

Not too far behind are Marco and Bertholdt, who are aiding Sasha in not falling to the ground in a dazed heap. Of course, once she catches sight of the dogpile on the floor, she's quick to join in. The two men that had been at her side stare at each other with an identical expression: should they still even bother?

Noting their expressions, Ymir steps forward with a huff, mumbles something incoherent, and sure enough, Connie and Eren suddenly find the strength to throw Reiner off of their bodies.

Krista's just come up the stairs by herself and regards the fallen men at her feet with only vague bewilderment. She raises her eyes to meet Armin's but finds that the other is attempting to assuage a developing dispute between Jean and Eren. And that's probably not that big of a deal. But today's been a fucking crappy one for her and even though Armin was a total asswipe, he was still supposed to be her constant on the show.

The blonde feels something unsettling begin to bubble and froth within the pit of her stomach but takes care to retain her stoic expression. Not knowing what to do wasn't okay. But she would make it work. Definitely. Maybe. Probably not at all. Well, _shit_ , man—

"You alright?"

She blinks at the sudden question, not realizing that she had lost herself within her own thoughts. Standing before her is a taller woman in basketball shorts and a muscle tee. Her dark hair is down and still wet, dripping onto the expensive tiles as she stares down at her fellow contestant. "I asked you a question—are you not going to answer it?"

Krista huffs at her companion's lack of patience. "Didn't think it was worth my time."

Ymir's a bit shocked at the burst of venom, but the disbelief quickly turns to agitation. "Okay, _look_ : I'm not going to be nice to you if you're not nice to me and I _really_ don't give a fuck. But I'm _just saying_ that everyone's already gone outside and you've been standing here looking like a lost bitch for the past two minutes. I don't know what the hell your problem is, but get the fuck over it and stop trying to pretend like it's everyone else's fault when it has nothing to do with any of us." With that, she turns on her heel and exits through the open glass door.

The blonde tries to ignore the prickling cold that attacks her forearms as she pulls at the sleeves of her cardigan. It doesn't really work.

_Oh. Today really is a bad day_.

"What the _fuck_ , Jean, you can actually _cook_?"

"I don't understand why it has to be so shocking," he responds, glare seemingly permanent on his features.

Sasha waves a dismissive hand as she continues to grab more kabobs and chips to put on her plate. "Connie's just mad because you're getting all the attention," she slurs. A strawberry-peach wine cooler is at her feet and the others can't help but wonder if they should be concerned in regards to their new friend's alcohol obsession. At least she had decided to share with everyone, as she and Reiner had supplied the night's alcohol.

The shorter man beside her flushes at the comment and turns his attention to Eren. "Yo, have you connected your phone to my speakers yet? You said you had good music and I'm wondering why I even bothered to believe you!"

All twelve of the contestants are sitting around the fire on either spare logs from Ymir and Marco's logging adventure or spare blankets the two had found in the latter's suitcases. The fire is burning a shocking blood orange with golden sparks sputtering out every once in a while and everyone—for the most part—looks like they're having a good time. Jean had supplied an arrangement of kabobs, tortilla chips, and quesadillas (Armin had admitted that he hadn't been very helpful), and now the group—Levi included—is enjoying the flavors of the Mexican coast that he's recreated.

Mikasa can't help but be entranced by the way the fire licks at the pineapple on her skewer and the way the sparks add an intensified magic to the night. Annie is behind her, staying seated on the blanket that they had procured, and as Mikasa allows her thoughts to drift back to her blonde friend, she can't help but feel worried. Ever since they had gotten back from the scavenger hunt, it was evident that Annie's standoffish nature had evolved into something much deeper and much more genuine. She wants to ask what's wrong, but something tells her that doing so would only make Annie feel worse.

So she settles the second kabob down on the paper plate, next to the chips and quesadilla slice, before grabbing two beers and reclaiming her seat next to her friend. When the blue-eyed girl looks up with a question in her eyes, Mikasa only smiles. "I got a bit ahead of myself and grabbed too much food. Come on. Let's share."

Annie stares at the plate of food and at the two bottles of beer in the brunette's hands and allows a small smile to grace her features. "You're an awful liar. But thanks. You really didn't have to."

Mikasa shrugs before popping the caps off of the drinks. "I'm used to taking care of others, I guess. Not a problem."

"Connie, I swear, every time I try to pick a song, something else starts playing! It's this weird shit that I've never even heard of before. You guys should be thankful that I'm keeping the volume low," Eren calls.

"Sounds like you're just making excuses for not being able to figure it out by yourself," Armin retorts with a smug grin on his face.

The brunet laughs at the remark before ultimately giving up and taking a seat between Reiner and the blond. "Whatever, we don't really need music anyway. The party here is lively enough!"

Reiner laughs at this and ruffles the shorter boy's hair. "It's because people are starting to get drunk. Things always get better when people are drunk."

"Except when they're puking everywhere," Sasha pipes in with a mischievous glimmer in her eye. When Reiner gives her a pained expression as his only response, she throws back her head in roaring shrieks of glee that end up incredibly contagious.

Armin, who's seated next to Marco, turns to face the freckled boy. "I'm not going to lie, these flames are really awesome. I would've never thought to mix lithium and calcium chloride this way! Then again, I suppose that chemistry isn't really my forte."

A nervous smile raises its lips on Marco's features. "Haha, I would say the same—I definitely prefer physics. I'm actually attending Trost University in the fall and—"

"Whoa!" Jean interrupts. "Hey, man, I'm going there too! What's your orientation date?"

Bertholdt smiles as he watches his friend speak to others. He's not exactly sure why, but he gets the feeling that it's not very common for him to do so. Marco still looks a bit tense and uncomfortable in the conversation, but he's doing okay and okay is a lot better than nothing at all.

"Man, I'm _so_ excited for the s'mores. And the cinnamon rolls. The sugar in general, to be honest."

Seated beside him is Ymir, who's snacking on some chips and languidly swirling some chocolate liquor in a martini glass. Bertholdt nods. "The actual food is practically gone at this point. I'm anxious to get dessert started—it's always my favorite part of any meal."

She smirks in response before elbowing him suggestively. "Say, I bet that if _we_ start it, the others are sure to join in in no time."

In that moment, Ymir reminds Bertholdt a lot of Eren and he's not very sure how he feels about it. But sure enough, it's not long before she grabs him by the sleeve of his shirt and whisks him away to the bar where all of the dessert items are being kept.

Before anyone knows it, it's raining marshmallows and chocolate bars on all of the blankets and a scoop of frozen ice cream is forced down the backs of Reiner and Connie's shirts.

"The brats are having a lot of fun," Levi mumbles.

"Well, yeah—campfires do that to people. Did you really not believe me when I threw out the pitch?"

"Hell no. I thought it was one of the dumbest ideas I had ever heard." His eyes dart to Petra's for a second and he feels a bit of guilt. "No offense or anything."

He wishes that Erwin were here. Erwin always knows how to make his seemingly asshole-ish comments a whole lot nicer.

Petra's starting to figure Levi out a bit though, so she forces herself to grin and bear the comment. "None taken. The only thing that's important is that I proved you wrong."

He allows himself a small sigh of relief before passing her one of the marshmallows in what he means as a humble sort of peace offering. She offers a tiny smile back before joking, "You don't win girls over with marshmallows, you know. We're more into cinnamon rolls."

An actual laugh erupts from his throat, though he quickly cuts himself off. " _Please_. If I was flirting with you, you wouldn't have been able to notice. Besides, I'm pretty sure that any person I date would have to also be willing to date Erwin. We're kind of a two-for-one deal that I didn't want to be a part of—but you know how he is."

She isn't quite sure how she's supposed to respond to that so she's incredibly relieved when Erwin's face suddenly appears in Levi's lap as he screams, " _Levi_ , look at what Hange did to my face!"

The kids around the fire burst into laughter at something that Sasha's said and it's not long before the cheerful mirth is joined by Petra and Levi.

"Hey, Jean."

"What is it, Eren?" the boy calls, obviously drunk on chocolate covered marshmallows.

"I finally got you to call me by my first name instead of my last!" he cheers before tripping over a log and falling face-first in Bertholdt's lap. "This is cause for celebration! Quick! Bertholdt! _Get the thing_!"

He's not making much sense, but that's okay because suddenly it's almost midnight and they've all been drinking alcohol so no one really makes sense at this point.

Bertholdt, however, is quite sober in comparison to everyone else. Him, Marco, Annie, Mikasa, Krista, and Armin. Perhaps it was a downstairs person sort of thing. Nevertheless, he repositions the fallen boy in Ymir's lap (who cackles with laughter as she pours the last of her drink in Eren's hair, excitedly pointing out to the others that it's like camouflage) and finds his way back to the house to get "the thing."

When he returns, Sasha—who's migrated over next to Mikasa—points at it in excitement. "Oh! It's so shiny!"

"It's a guitar," Annie notes aloud, vaguely interested. Sasha seems to be in complete marvel over this revelation.

The others erupt into a chorus of "ooh"s, "aah"s, and in Connie's case, an exuberant, "Hell yeah, we're going to set it on _fire_!"

"No, Connie. We are _not_ going to set Bertholdt's guitar on fire. That's very rude, would probably hurt his feelings, and I'm sure that you would regret it in the morning," Armin states calmly. He places a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down a bit, but it doesn't really work as well as he had hoped.

"The only thing _I'll_ regret in the morning is not socking Eren's face for messing up my speakers! Like, bro, I _just_ got those!"

There's a loud shout from the brunet that ends up being muffled since his face his still hidden within Ymir's lap. "He says that they were shittyass speakers anyway and that Bertholdt's 'thing' is way fucking cooler," she translates. Hearing this, the brunet sits up in a more proper position and nods passionately, obviously agreeing with himself.

"Well, Bertholdt, what've you got?"

"Uh," he adjusts his collar nervously. "It depends on what you guys are in the mood for singing, I guess. I know 'Wonderwall,' 'Counting Stars,' 'Night Changes,' and 'Free Fallin'' off the top of my head. But I'm sure that I can figure something out if you guys are interested in something else."

A medley of all four names is called out by the crowd, no single winner evident.

"Oh, hey!" Marco pipes up, turning to face the staff members assembled at the get-together. "You know, we never found out who the fan favorite of the day was."

The others cheer for his good memory as Levi curses for his forgetfulness and Petra lets out an innocent "Oops!"

Erwin though, just as level-headed as he usually is when he actually _gets_ sleep, pulls out an envelope from seemingly nowhere and taunts the drunk teenagers with it. "And the winner is…" They take the bait fairly easily and Reiner creates a makeshift drumroll by pounding at the log he's seated next to.

"Mikasa!"

The brunette in question seems honestly surprised by the revelation and the other eleven kids applaud for her. Levi allows himself to crack a smile as well. He definitely hadn't been expecting that.

"Okay, okay, so _Mikasa_ has to pick the song first. That's only fair," Jean states. Eren nods fervently, acting as though this decision was the most important one of the entire day.

In all honesty, Mikasa _hates_ picking music. She's the type of girl that just gets enjoyment out of listening to what others like, and decision making is _not_ her forte. Not knowing what else to do, she turns to Annie for support. Annie, of course, is focused on the dancing flames and hardly takes notice of the dilemma at hand. Ultimately it's Sasha who pipes up next to her in excitement, "Ooh, 'Night Changes!' Mikasa, _please_!"

"'Night Changes,'" she repeats. Sasha cheers, a few of the others grumble, and Eren's nodding has hit an all time high.

With that said, Bertholdt gets into position and begins to strum his guitar. It would have been expected that Sasha's voice would be heard above the rest, but in all actuality, it ends up being Eren.

" _Going out tonight, changes into something red…_ "

His voice is scratchy, but it's also warm, and it entices the others that hadn't been taking the song seriously to start doing so. There's a nostalgia in Bertholdt's playing that's kind of like the sound of a memory being made and, for the first time, everyone feels like they've made an odd sort of home on the reality television show. The feeling is stronger in some people than it is in others—but it's persistent.

" _We're only getting older, baby… And I've been thinking about it lately…_ "

Mikasa's voice stands out as much as Eren's does. It's soft and gentle and Annie can't help but think that it sounds like kindness personified. It makes her squirm a bit in discomfort, but the feeling goes away when the brunette turns to her friend with reassurance sparkling in her eyes. Beside her, Sasha's started to steal the show with a powerful voice that no one had been expecting from the petite girl. She's, by far, the most talented singer of the group.

" _Does it ever drive you crazy just how fast the night changes_?"

In his head, Marco can't help but think that it sort of reminded him of his own family campfires.

He smiles.

Everyone is smiling.

Except _her_.

" _It will never change me and you_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jesus Christ, this chapter is a monster. An awfully overdue monster. Guys, I genuinely apologize for how late this chapter is coming out. The creative juices just weren't flowing and I was struggling to get things worded properly. This is basically three weeks overdue though, and I don't really have an excuse.
> 
> Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed my longest chapter so far! I'm having a bit of trouble with the pacing, to be honest, because even though this is the conclusion of the second episode of the show, it's the sixth chapter of the story and everyone kind of lives together so it's hard to keep personal things personal. That being said, there's a lot of foreshadowing in this chapter, and I really did try my best to spread out the spotlight a bit more. Not sure how successful I was, but please let me know!
> 
> I actually made some character profiles in an attempt to solidify everyone's personalities and figure out how to make each of them shine more. Put them all under the MBTI test, and there are two pairs of people who ended up getting the same result. Brownie points to anyone who guesses correctly!
> 
> Mikasa was the fan favorite this episode! Close behind her was Krista, and third place was a tie between Eren and Ymir. I'm happy to say that the votes were spread out a lot more evenly this time! I'm definitely taking that as a good sign.
> 
> Well, that's all I have to say this time around. Feedback is definitely appreciated! Thank you for sticking around and reading this far, everyone. It really means a lot. c:


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